Darkness Rising
by Overword
Summary: Through luck and sheer charisma, Ainz-sama goes on to conquer the known world as his servants look on in awe and admiration. Everything is going according to the Supreme Ones 'plan'
1. Chapter 1

A/N This is a fanfic detailing Ainz's conquest of Re-Estize through luck and sheer charisma. Everything is going according to Ainz-Samas 'plan'.

* * *

Chapter one, Part 1: Ainz.

Ainz sat hunched over his desk, grimly contemplating the mountain of paper in front of him.

'Uwaah, there's so much work! At least I knew what I was doing when I was a desk clerk.'

He read the first sentence of a paper in front of him: Grain Reports.

'Hmm, I ought to send some grain to the Holy Kingdom to help them recover. That way they will be grateful to me. Who knows? It might make it easier to conquer them in the future.'

He thought for a second. 'I'm sure Demiurge has a better plan. I shouldn't mess it up. Should I send grain? Better to not risk it.'

He flipped through the paper before moving on. This time it was about proper vacations for humans. 'I know! I'll take a vacation to the Re-Estize Kingdom. I'll take the chance to search for [Downfall of Castle and Country]. I might turn up with something.' He stroked his chin reflectively. 'But how to make an excuse? Ah, that's right.'

He stood up, careful to assume a kingly air. "Albedo, I will be traveling to the Re-Estize Kingdom for a while. I'm sorry to leave this paperwork to you."

Albedo blushed. "To think you would worry about one such as me! But Ainz-sama, surely you can't go alone. Dare I ask what you are going to do there?"

Ainz took a mental breath. "It is part of my plan. Its of high importance that I go alone."

Albedo looked at him with adoration. "As I thought, everything dances within the palm of your hand! Truly, you are the Supreme One! However, may I at least request that you be back soon? Demiurge wishes to consult your intellect."

'Intellect,' Ainz thought sourly. "Of course, Albedo. I am always available."

Albedo nodded, and alerted a maid that Ainz would be leaving.

"Ah no, Albedo. It is vital that nobody knows I am coming. I will use [Gate] to get there."

"Of course, Ainz-sama!" She bowed and [Messaged] Shalltear. With in seconds, a portal opened up in front of Ainz. Without hesitation, he stepped through it.

After a brief second of darkness, he appeared in front of the high gates of the Re-Estize capital. Its towering walls stretched far above his head, although they paled in comparison to the mighty ramparts of E-Rantel. He slipped on his Mask of Envy

[Greater Teleportation]

Ainz appeared well inside the city. Some passerby looked at him because of his rich robes, but he wasn't recognized. Ainz noticed the looks and cast a silent [Time Stop]. While time was stopped, he unequipped all of his equipment and put on much less rich garb, though it was still the province of the wealthy. 'Might as well take a look around.'

After several minutes of walking around, he noticed the streets were shabbier and houses were smaller. Eventually he came upon a small and shady market. Contrabands of all sorts were being sold here, from potions to drugs. 'I guess I should check out the potions, see if there are any good ones to show Nfirea.'

As he was browsing the stall, a woman with twisted and angry features bumped him, causing him to almost drop a potion. He looked at the woman angrily, but she started talking to the shopkeeper.

* * *

Part 2: Renner.

"Renner-sama, will you be attending the formal dinner tonight?"

A maid asked Innocently. Making sure to adjust the features to be what the maid expected, cute and innocent, Princess Renner looked up at the maid.

"Maybe. I'm feeling a little tired from the day. Could you tell Prince Zanac-dono that I might be late?"

The maids face softened into a smile, though Renner's astute mind noticed traces of contempt. 'Perfect.' When the maid left, Renner pulled her hair into a bun, slipped on elegant glasses, and wound a cloak tightly around herself. She contorted her facial features enough that no one would think her to be the pure Princess Renner. Checking over everything one last time, she hurried out of her room.

Renner had been in a room in a popular local inn, The Green Knight. The inn was two stories, and had a classy and well-lit exterior. It was well known for its music and for its quality beer. It was not known for its high security, however making it perfect for Renner's needs.

Renner was hurrying to buy a special potion for herself to use. 'Finally, I will be able to have Climb all to myself.' Her heart quickened as she thought of his fiercely loyal and naive eyes. The potion was a short term memory loss potion, capable of removing all memory from the past twelve hours. 'If I slip some to Climb, I can do whatever I want and no one will ever know. I must thank Albedo-sama for the suggestion.'

Renner had spent many years dreaming of the day she could make Climb hers, and at long last the opportunity was drawing near. She had memorized the map to her destination earlier, and she walked purposefully. As she approached the black market, she felt a small twinge of anger. 'It's a shame I get so little allowance, even as Princess. If I had more I might have done this years ago.'

However, as she approached the stall, she felt a moment of worry. There was a tall figure browsing the potions. He won't recognize me, whoever he is.' In her haste to approach the stall, she tripped and bumped the man. He tilted his head, but she couldn't read his expression under his mask. Deeming it an acceptable risk, Renner leaned forward. She would make this quick.

"Could I have the memory-loss potion?"

The shopkeeper pulled a potion off of the shelf, and handed it to her.

"Three gold for the potion."

Normally Renner would bargain him down to keep her meagre supplies up, but she wanted to leave quickly. She handed him the gold, and watched in disgust as the man's face lit up in response to the unexpected acceptance of his extortionate price. and was about to turn away when the tall man interrupted her.

"That's a lot of money for a commoner to be giving up willingly."

The man looked at her enigmatically. He leaned forward, and she shrank back unconsciously as a powerful aura of power hit her. The man stood in a kingly fashion as he waited for her to answer. She looked up at him carefully. Slowly things clicked off in her head. Mask to hide face. Tall structure. Kingly bearing. Powerful aura. But she had to be sure.

"Who are you?"

"You seem frightened of me. Do you think I'm some sort of monster?"

The man seemed to be determined not to give her a straight answer, but he also seemed to be mocking her. Time to take a chance. If I get it wrong I can pretend to be confused, but if it is him, and if I do nothing, the surely he will think I'm incompetent. 'How did he see through my disguise?'

"Your Majesty, what are you doing here?"

* * *

Part 3: Ainz

Ainz had no idea how to reply. 'How did she recognize me? What should I do?' He thought for a second. "Alright, be vague. I'll make it up as I go.'

"Ah, hello there. Who could you be? Only one person could have recognized me."

Ainz made sure to say this in a weighty tone befitting a king. Ainz thought of Demiurge. 'Surely she isn't one of his agents. She looks human. Who is she?' He prayed that she would betray some hint of her identity.

The girl motioned him over to the side of the street.

"As I'm sure Your Majesty guessed, it is I, Princess Renner.'

"What? Uhm- Ah yes, as I suspected. But why are you buying this potion?"

Renner stood perfectly still for a second, before she spoke up.

"I need it to soothe some troubling memories of a subordinate."

"How noble of you, Renner-dono. You will make an admirable queen someday, I am quite sure of it."

By now, the two of them had started walking out of the marketplace. It was nearly dusk, but Ainz's darkvision removed the issue. However, Renner stumbled as they walked. 'The nobles ought to know Renner is out being so generous'

"Renner-dono, do the people know that you are out doing such good deeds? You should tell them. In fact, there's a formal dinner tonight, isn't there? Then would be a good time."

Princess Renner frowned slightly, but Ainz didn't notice. Fluidly, she started to speak again, barely betraying her anger.

"Gown-dono, would you like to be present at that occasion? It is the biggest events of the year!"

Ainz looked at Renner. Albedo had told him that she had a fearsome intellect, but she seemed to just be a nice lady. Generally, he did not like attending dinners, being unable to eat, but he could hardly refuse such a generous invitation. He looked at Renner beatifically.

"Of course I would like to be there. I wouldn't miss it for the world."


	2. Chapter 2

Authors note: I have plenty of free time over break, so expect some more content. Hail Ainz-sama!

 **p.s. sorry for botched chapter 2, i'm new to this site**

Chapter 2 Part 1: Tybalt

Tybalt was the first son of his father, Tyron. When his father died of old age, he took his rightful spot as the lord of his estate. He considered himself to be an important noble in his youth, but his age had taught him his place. Thus, when he heard about the yearly skirmish with the Baharuth Empire, he had seen an opportunity for his two beloved sons, William and Tyrwin to gain glory.

He had been devastated by the news of their death. That undead, no that monster had taken hi only joy from him! He had sworn revenge. Tybalt spent his nights concocting feverish plans for the Sorcerer Kings demise, even at the expense of his once proud estate. Every time he was called to council, he tried to drum up support for a war against the Sorcerous Kingdom. Part of him knew they had no chance, but then he would think of Tyrwins innocent face, covered in mud and blood, and he would banish such thoughts from his mind.

When he hard about the formal dinner at the palace, Tybalt instantly prepared to go, if only to drum up support for his campaigns.

"Margaret, get my best suit. I need to look especially distinguished."

"At once, Tybalt-sama."

The maid quickly returned with a fashionable gold and red suit, the colors of the Re- Estize Kingdom. She helped his old body fit into it, and tightened the buttons across his chest. Tybalt straightened with the ramrod posture his father had drilled into him, nd stepped outside. His carriage was waiting for him. His butler gave him a hand as he stepped into the carriage.

As the carriage set out, Tybalt thought once more of his precious sons, before falling asleep.

He was woken with a jolt as the carriage stopped. He pushed open the richly enameled door, and stepped out. Within two minutes, he was seated at the table with the other nobles.

Princess Renner stood up from where she was sitting with Crown Prince Zanac and stepped towards the table. She raised a glass in her delicate hands.

"Gentlemen, even though my father was too ill to be here tonight, he wishes prosperity on all of you, and he hopes that your estates will grow in power. Speaking of powerful estates, today, we welcome a surprise guest to the table. The Sorcerer King himself, Ainz Ooal Gown!"

As the perplexed nobles looked around in confusion, a tall, dark robed figure appeared. His red eyes glared at them, and they all shrank back as his mighty presence washed over them. Several people made welcoming noises nervously, but Tybalt heard none of it. His vision tunneled to red around that hateful personage, and he stepped forward.

"Monster! To think that you would be allowed to profane this hall after what you did! You killed my sons! My heirs!"

Tybalt took a breath as the fearsome visage turned his way, but he was filled with maniacal courage.

"Do you even know who they were? I, Tybalt, will punish you for your crimes against this nation!"

Some part of him knew that it was ridiculous to expect the Sorcerer King to know who his sons were, but he was too caught up in his anger. With a shout, he leapt towards Ains- no, the Sorcerer King, and attempted to stab him. He stared in shock as his blade bounced off right before hitting him.

The Sorcerer King looked at him in disbelief, and then raised a thin, bony hand.

[Death]

As Tybalt faded away, his last thoughts were ' _This isn't what I thought would happen_.'

Part 2: Renner

Renner was just as surprised as anyone in the hall. She looked at the dead noble lying at His Majesty's feet.

"You, take his body away. See that his household receives it. Gown-dono, I am truly sorry. I had no idea he harbored such anger."

Ainz squared his body towards her. If she didn't know better she would have sworn that his body posture looked a little dejected.

"Renner-dono, I am quite offended. This man has insulted me, and I think it's only fair that I receive compensation. Right?"

' _Uh oh'_ Renner thought. She knew that he had put her in quite a bad position. She couldn't give him compensation without looking unsympathetic to her own country, and she couldn't give him nothing without offending him further. ' _I might as well try to lessen the damage_.'

"Of course, Gown-dono. I will see that you are compensated. Name your price and we will strive to deliver."

"Well this man did state that he had no heirs, right? I- ah, I think it might be reasonable to give me his estate. I will take care of his household."

' _No way the nobles will go along with this. They have been eyeing Tybalt's estate for awhile. As the only one who has sufficient Iron, Mythril and even Orichalcum mines, he has a monopoly on high end weapons and armor._ ' However, the nobles looked at each other and nodded. Even Zanac looked uncharacteristically happy about the idea.

"Well, Gown-dono, if that is your wish, I am sure that it won't be difficult to arrange."

The Sorcerer King looked at her, and then turned his head to address the noble.

"Umu. I will be heading home to the Sorcerous Kingdom. I have had all the taste I desire from your hospitality. Renner-dono, I am sorry to have caused such a disturbance."

Despite herself, Renner felt grateful for that small apology. She made apologetic noises, and sent for his carriage to be prepared.

Part 3: Ainz

Ainz waited in the carriage for a couple minutes before alerting the driver that he would be getting off, and that there was no need to wait. The driver nervously thanked him for the payment, and sped off.

[Gate]

Ainz stepped through the black tear in reality, and appeared in the throne room. ' _It's strange that the nobles let me get away with that. Imagine if a customer interrupted another client, and then demanded his wares. Surely we wouldn't give it to them. What possessed me to ask?'_ He pondered it for a moment, before he was interrupted by Albedo coming into the Throne Room.

"Ainz-sama, welcome back home. I have been guarding your abode for you in wait for your return back to me!"

She shifted coquettishly, and giggled. After a second, her face turned serious.

"But Ainz-sama, why did you go to the Kingdom? And why did you go alone? It pains me every time the ruler of my heart and soul puts himself in danger."

Ainz paused for a second. He knew he couldn't tell her it was just to escape paperwork. _Think fast!_ '

"Ah. Sorry Albedo, but it is all part of my plan. I am getting ready to- hmmm. I am getting ready to pull some plans into fruition."

' _That should do it_.' As expected Albedo stared at him in awe. She blushed slightly.

"As expected of Ainz-sama! Everything dances in the palm of your hand!"

Ainz shifted on the throne awkwardly. It was embarrassing to see how quickly the guardians ate up his bullshit. Albedo snapped her fingers. To Ainz's horror, a skeleton staggered up under the weight of a massive pile of papers.

"Ainz-sama, I regret to say that in your short absence, we have been unable to keep up with the paperwork. I was wondering if we could go over it together?"

' _NOOOOOOOOOOOOO_!'


	3. Chapter 3

Authors Note: This one might be a bit longer. I wanted to try writing with a bit more detail. Hope you don't mind!

Chapter three part 1: Albedo

Albedo sat in her carriage reading _The Complete Housewife, 3_ _rd_ _Edition,_ as she waited to arrive at the Re-Estize Kingdom. As usual, her carriage was pulled by Death Cavaliers, and she had several Hanzos on perimeter around her carriage.

The carriage was made of an ebony wood which seemed to suck up all surrounding light. In had several depictions of the Ainz in battle wrought in a dark gold on the walls. Ainz killing the Kingdom's soldiers was shown, his fight against Jaldabaoth, and Ainz killing Shalltear as well. There were many rubies and onyx's adorning the already lavish exterior and complementing the gold. Despite this opulence, it had an undeniable feeling of exquisite good taste instead of simply money being put to waste.

Albedo had announced her intention to go to Re-Estize four days ago, and told them to expect her today. However, she did not spend the four days in travel like a human would be forced to do. Because of the utility of [Gate] she could arrive in ten minutes. She had spent the days basking in her beloved Ainz-sama's presence instead.

The carriage glided through the open gates, it's wheels making no noise on the cobblestone roads. Hundreds of smallfolk had gathered to see the sight, though many looked with anger at the envoy of the nation which exterminated their sons and husbands in the thousands.

The horrifying presence of the Death Cavaliers prevented anyone from molesting the carriage, however, and the procession arrived at the entrance to the palace without issue.

With a sigh, Albedo put her book down. She was loath to stop learning how to be a good wife, but duty called.

She exited the carriage, and shook her wings gently, as if to relieve stress. Several city guards were present, but instead of Crown Prince Zanac, Princess Renner was there to greet her. She took Renner's hand gently, and the two of them walked between the guards elegantly. Albedo bowed to Renner, who was technically her superior.

"Good to see you, Renner-sama."

"Hello, Albedo-dono. It's good to see you as well."

The commoners sighed and gasped at Albedo's beauty, and many there whispered that she outshone even Renner's beauty. They subconsciously appreciated how Albedo's seductive allure complemented Renner's glorious radiance.

Albedo allowed Renner to guide her to her personal quarters. A maid jumped forward to open the door, and they entered together. Renner looked at the maid.

"Please leave us. Thank you."

The maid left, though they both knew she would be listening at the door. No doubt the Noble faction was attempting to seize any information about any collaboration between Renner and the Sorcerous Kingdom.

"Albedo?"

In response, Albedo cast [Mist of the Lady] which prevented eavesdropping and spying. Immediately, dark purple mist spread out, covering the windows and the gaps in the door. Despite the fog, there was plenty of light in the room, although it was tinged gray.

Albedo immediately dropped the airs of deference, and took her position as the superior.

"Renner-kun, you were present during His Majesty's visit here. Tell me, is there any specific reason he chose to take that noble's property? Tell me also, how did he convince the nobles to give him the property?"

Renner took a sip of tea.

"There is special significance to that property- it is our main source of Iron and Mythril in the Kingdom. Without it, we can't make as much armor for our adventurers. Even in the two weeks since his visit, we have seen a decline in the amount of adventurers here. As for how he convinced them, I have no idea. He is supernaturally charismatic, and even I, who know better thought that what he said made sense. Albedo-sama, did he cast some sort of charm spell on them?"

Albedo thought for a second, slipping a bit of sugar into her tea as she did so.

"Possibly. His Majesty is naturally very charismatic, as befits he who rules my heart! Now, Renner-kun, these are your instructions. You are to work behind the scenes to raise the prices even higher, and to spread word about the runecrafted gear we have in the Sorcerous Kingdom. Say that it is cheap, and of high quality. That aside, have you had any luck on the box I gave you?"

Renner went over to the corner of her room. There was a chest there, with a single lock on it. She opened it and withdrew a black box from within. She then placed the box on the table.

"Would it not be better to have more locks on the chest? It is a very valuable item."

"I personally believe in hiding things in plain sight. If I emphasized the security on the box too much, some maid might try to open it."

Albedo nodded in recognition, and then picked up the box. One of it's layers had retracted, but the other two were still intact.

"I see you have made some progress. Good luck!"

"Thank you Albedo-sama."

The two of them chatted for thirty minutes before Renner checked an item in her pocket, [Timekeeper]

"Ah, Albedo-sama, I'm afraid I'm all out of time for today. Thank you for your company."

Albedo gracefully acknowledged, and prepared to leave. ' _Ah, it is good to be out working for Ainz-sama, even if I can't be with him.'_

Part 2: Ruby Riders, adventurer team.

The four people strode down the road towards a popular inn. They were a Mythril adventurer team, known as the Ruby Riders. They were a very by the book team- one Arcane magic caster who was able to cast third-tier magic, a brawler, a thief, and an archer.

The archer, Engmer Adhice, spoke up.

"Whew, that was a nasty monster. I nearly died."

The brawler, Horrec Redhorn, nodded.

"My armor is all torn to shreds. After dinner, let's go see if we can buy some more."

After a group assent, they all headed in to dinner. The food was cheap, and they had just come back with a generous reward, so they bought a lot of food. Eventually the thief leaned back in her chair.

"I couldn't eat another bite! It's a good life, being an adventurer! Look at all this money- I'm going to go visit my family and give it to them."

The thief lived a good life for someone in the Re- Estize Kingdom. A husband, two kids, and plenty of money. She was regarded with envy by most of her peers, who scrabbled for a living.

Engmer picked at the giant leg of meat on his plate. He had eaten most of it, but he was unable to continue the battle against it this time. He looked up with a grin.

"Esrin, do you mind if I walk with you there? I have business in that quarter."

Everyone smiled. It was well known to be where the prostitute dens were, which annoyed Esrin. The magic caster poked Engmer in the ribs.

"You horny old goat! Always chasing after a skirt. If you don't watch out, you'll never get married. Though, with the way you look, you might never get married anyway."

"Shut up Agamotus! You're thirty and still a virgin!"

"That's because I'm a holy man! I swore to never profane myself with sex."

"Sure, grandad."

Engmer and Esrin laughed at the easygoing banter. Eventually, they all finished their food and left. It was Agamotus's turn to pay the bill. Instead of sharing the bill, they went in order, as an unspoken motivation to stay alive, sort of a 'You've got to survive to make sure your not the last one to pay for dinner,' or 'It's your turn next, don't die.'

Once they paid, they left the inn, and headed towards a well-known blacksmith to get Horrec some new armor. However, when they arrived, the shop had a 'CLOSED' sign in front of it. They spotted the blacksmith hauling his tools onto a nearby wagon. The anvil was already aboard. Horrec frowned and shouted out.

"Hey, where are you going? Why is your shop closed? Your the best blacksmith in the city!"

The blacksmith shrugged dejectedly.

"Even I can't work without any ores. I can't make armor, so I have no business. I got an invitation to go to The Bahuruth Empire, and so I packed my bags. I'll be headed over there tomorrow morning."

The Ruby Riders looked up in shock.

"No ores? But where will we get armor?"

The blacksmith went back into the shop They heard him rustling about, but he shouted out through the door.

"I dunno. Most of the good blacksmiths are out of business too. You could try the Empire, or go to the Sorcerous Kingdom. They have good, cheap runecrafted gear there, I hear. I a lot of people have buried their fears and headed over there."

This time, Agamotus spoke up.

"Is that worth it? We need gear, but I'm not sure we need it that badly."

The blacksmith shrugged and continued lugging stuff onto the wagon. The Ruby Riders talked for a few moments

"I say we stay here. Anything is better than working for that undead!"

"No, we need gear. We'll die without it. Even the undead is better than death."

"Plus, have you guys heard his offer to adventures there? It sounds awesome!"

"I think we all think it's worth the risk, Engmer. Should we vote, or is it already decided?"

"I guess it's already decided."

After they were done discussing, the team branched off and went there separate ways. They made a plan to meet at that inn in the morning, and then to head to the Sorcerous Kingdom in search of gear the next morning.

Part 3: Ainz

Ainz had been bothered by the willingness of the nobles even after two weeks. Finally, he hit upon something. ' _Could it be my stats? I have super high charisma, luck, and intelligence. Maybe those things exist in this world? In Yggdrasil they only helped with trades, drops, and puzzles. It's true that finding Gondo and being Momon and happening to come across Zuranon was incredibly lucky. In fact the more I think about it, the more lucky I've been! But how can I test this? I know!'_

He went down to the treasury to find a deck of collectable playing cards. He fondly remembered the grand poker tournament his friends and he had decided to host. He had come 14th. After exchanging pleasantries with Pandora's Actor, he headed back to his room with a card deck in his bony hand.

He thought of a card. ' _Six of Spades.'_ He spread the cards on the table, and randomly picked one up. It was the Six of Spades. ' _No way!'_ He did it again, this time thinking of the Four of Hearts. When he randomly picked up a card, it was also a Four of Hearts. He did this ten times, and for 7 of the 10, he got his card. That would make him insanely. He had a 1/52 chance each time, so to get it 7 times would be unheard of. There was no doubt about it.

Suddenly he had a thought.' _What if I'm subconsciously following a plan? My intelligence stat is really high. Could it be guiding my actions? After all, Demiurge seems to think I'm a genius, no matter what I do.'_ Ainz squared his shoulders and muttered to himself.

"I can't let the other know about this."

After a couple seconds, he regained his sense of purpose. He pulled out a sheet from his inventory. On it was a list of things he had in mind.

Consult Nigredo on relevant information

Talk to Ainzach

Review adventure programs

Look at farms

He put the sheet away.

[Greater Teleportation]

Ainz teleported into Nigredo's chambers. Before she could even begin the attack sequence, he pulled out the baby.

"Here is your baby."

Nigredo stopped moving, and then relaxed.

"Hello Ainz-sama. What do you need from your servant today?"

"I was hoping you had seen something you wanted to tell me. Have my adventures found anything? Are there any threats?"

Nigredo incanted several spells.

[Sight] [Greater Sight] [Farsight] [Cloak Peirce] [Level Evaluate] [Crystal Mirror]

The last one was to show Ainz what she saw.

"As a matter of fact, there is a small occurrence. There is a level 40 Frost Wyrm roaming the outskirts of the Re- Estize Kingdom. Shall we destroy it?"

"Is there anything else?"

"Yes, Ainz-sama. Due to the armor shortages, many adventurers from the Kingdom have left. Some came here. But the Kingdom is unprepared to defend them. Is this part of your plan? Demiurge said that you would remove the adventurers, send in a monster, and then defeat it, earning love from the citizens of the Re-Estize Kingdom and gaining further advantage over its rulers. Truly everything dances in the palm of the Supreme One!"

She genuflected before Ainz.

"Ah no, please get up. Well, yes, that is a good plan. Does Demiurges [Command Mantra] work on level 40 creatures?"

"Demiurges skill does affect beings up to level 40, so it shouldn't be a problem."

"Good, tell him to instruct the Wyrm to attack the Capital."


	4. Chapter 4

Summary of events: (These will be every 3 chapters) Ainz travels to the Re-Estize Kingdom, where he manages to work his way into a formal dinner. He takes advantage of being attacked by an enraged noble to take control of the nobles estate- the ore production, which he adds to the Sorcerous Kingdom. Ore shortages cause adventurers to leave the Re-Estize Kingdom, opening the door for Ainz to send a monster their way.

Chapter 4: Part 1

Zanac hunched in his chair in despair and frustration. He leaned forward so he could rest his burning forehead against the cool surface of the desk. For the past day, he had been furiously considering the problems ahead of him. His father, King Ranpossa III, was too sick to attend to his duties as King. Because he usually mediated the proceedings and kept order, his absence had only exacerbated the division between the Noble and Royal factions, causing all progress in the government to grind to a halt.

The timing could not have been worse. The Kingdom was facing an exodus of adventurers, and as Iron prices skyrocketed, many other businesses struggled as well. Zanac knew that they needed the adventurers to defend against monsters, and he was sure that it was only a matter of time before something dangerous showed its ugly head.

It seemed like the Kingdom was always desperately dealing with problem after problem since the Massacre.

"Dammit! Stupid nobles! Curse them, curse the Sorcerer King, curse everybody!"

Zanac slammed his fist into the desk in frustration, and then massaged his temples. He took a breath.

"I need to consult Renner-chan."

His little sister always had the answer. As much as he loathed relying on her, he needed a way forward.

He got up, stretched briefly, and pushed open the door. Ahead of him, he spied a servant.

"You! Do you know where my sister is?"

The man bowed respectfully.

"Yes, Crown Prince Zanac-sama. She is in the orphanage with Climb-dono and the children."

Zanac hurried out the door to head over to the orphanage. He mounted one of the horses at the stable, and prepared to ride over to the orphanage. It was a relief to be outside doing anything, anything aside from more fruitless desk work.

He spurred the horse to a trot, and left the stable. Several guards discreetly followed him, as was usual whenever a member of the royal family left the palace. However Zanac had hardly gone 100 meters before the Captain of the Guard reined a horse next to him.

"Prince Zanac-sama! There is a monster- Frost Wyrm- headed our way. It's not that close, but it's headed straight for the Capital! It's already destroyed two towns!"

"Do we have any adventurers to stop it with?"

"No, my lord, I'm afraid the strongest team in the city is currently gold-ranked."

Zanac stared at the man, aghast.

"Gold? But that's so low! Is there anyone we can ask for aid from?"

The Captain paused, before speaking up again.

"Well, all of our higher adventurers were forced to leave in search of gear. I'm sure they'd help, but none of note are close enough. The Empire will never help us. The Slane Theocracy is busy fighting the Elves. So I don't think so."

He ticked the options off on his fingers.

Zanac slumped in his saddle. Suddenly, he brightened, then he slumped again.

"We could always ask the Sorcerous Kingdom. I'm not sure they would help though. After all, the undead do hate the living."

Zanac stood straighter.

"Never mind that. They are our only hope."

Zanac spurred his horse again, and rode back towards the palace.' _Will they arrive in time? How do I contact them? I suppose we do have some Pegasi Knights. They are fast enough to get there and request help before the monster arrives.'_

He turned, and headed back to the stable. After a minute, he was back. Swinging off of his horse, he landed with a thud. He was unused to riding, and was unable to pull off a cool dismount. ' _No matter_.' He walked with the dignity befitting a prince towards the stable manager.

"Prepare 3 of the fastest Pegasi Knights we have. Send them to the Sorcerous Kingdom with this message."

He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket, and on it he wrote:

 _Your Majesty, Ainz Ooal Gown,_

 _We come to you in a time of great need. Regretfully, we are under attack, and we lack the adventurers necessary to fend off the monster. Please lend assistance._

 _Your servant,_

 _Prince Zanac_

The stable manager looked at him stupidly, and then asked his question.

"Prince Zanac-sama, why not just send the army to deal with the monster?"

"Two reasons: The army takes almost a month to assemble. We only have 3 days. And secondly, no amount of level 5 soldiers could ever kill a Frost Wyrm. They would only increase our casualties."

Zanac pressed the scroll into the man's hand, and headed off to alert the nobles. _"I never got to contact Renner-chan after all_.'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3 days later ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Part 2: Orik the Merchant

Orik had owned a small shop his whole life. He sold above average quality vegetables and fruits. Recently, he had been struggling to make ends meet, as the shortages of everything meant that even potatoes and turnips cost 1 or 2 silvers to purchase for his store. He had to sell them to the people at high prices to even break even. This meant less people bought his food. He could barely make money, even on good days.

When he heard about the incoming monster attack, he had had enough. It was time to pack his bags and move somewhere better. He had heard that the Empire was enjoying unseen of before prosperity, and he decided to move there.

However, he had failed to to leave the Kingdom in time, and now the dreaded monster was about to destroy the city. He had only heard rumors, but he had heard that it was a giant snake whose icy breath froze whole plains solid, leaving only frozen popsicles of previously living animals.

Suddenly he heard screams.

"It's coming!"

"I can see it in the distance!"

"Wow, it's huge!"

"Aieeeeee! We're doomed!"

Orik ran over to the base of the walls, and quickly scrambled up the steps. In his haste, he forgot his goods, and left them in front of his shop. He saw it! In the distance, but growing rapidly closer, was a writhing serpent. It's eyes glowed an electric blue, and several tendrils reminiscent of icicles waved about and under its head, forming a mane of sorts. It looked like lizard more than a dragon, though it didn't have lizard-like sluggishishness at all. It grew closer with terrifying speed.

' _Nothing can save us now_.' Orik thought. Little did he know how wrong he was.

Unexpectedly, a lone figure appeared in the air twenty feet away from the wall. There was a sense of weight to its presence, as if the world was bending towards it. An aura of blackness and despair hung behind its head. It casually turned, baring a bony face, and ribs poking between a rich robe. The undead looked at them for a second before turning to face the Wyrm.

"The Sorcerer King!"

These whispers of awe spread up and down the wall, uttered by the unbelieving watchers gathered there.

Despite its terrifying appearance, Orik was irrationally comforted by its presence. It seemed he was not alone, as the screams of terror from the Wyrm died down. All eyes turned to focus on the Sorcerer King.

(Disclaimer: Bad at fight scenes)

The Sorcerer King raised his arms to the sky.

[Flaming Skull]

He shouted. A giant flaming skull twenty feet high manifested before him, and sped towards the Wyrm. Orik felt his face dry under the furnace heat it took an instinctive step backward under the scorching wind it gave off. However, the Wyrm breathed its Ice Breath onto the ground, moving it up until he built a wall out of glittering ice. The head collided with the wall in a bright flash, melting the wall. However, the skull guttered out due to fire's weakness to water and ice based defenses.

After seeing this, the Sorcerer King made a gesture, and a complex figure stretched out from his hand. Six circles hovered in the air in a line, with many intricate geometries and runes spinning around inside the circles.

[Piercing Ray]!

With a purring sound, a beam of light appeared and stabbed towards the Frost Wyrm, which growled and waved a claw in a circle. A rune glowing electric blue appeared in front of the Wyrm, but it didn't stop the beam. The ray of pure light pierced through the rune and impacted on the Wyrm, stabbing a perfect circular hole through its whole body. They could see trees through the hole, and the charred insides smoking gently.

The Wyrm roared in agony, sending shockwaves out from its mouth which buffeted the observers. The Sorcerer King's cloak fluttered gently in the gale. In a final dramatic movement, the Undead King brought his hands together, and then pulled them apart. To massive globes of light gathered on each of his hands, sparkling with wild tendrils of electricity.

[Twin Maximize Dragon Lightning]

They each shot a long lightning bolt towards the Wyrm. For two seconds the Wyrm convulsed before lying still. As soon as it died, a mysterious black disc appeared beneath it, swirling with nebulous gases. The Wyrm fell through this disc, like it was a hole. When the tip of its tail finally fell through the disc, the disc disappeared, removing the Wyrm without a trace.

Slowly, a few citizens started to clap. However, the people were still too scared of the Sorcerer King for the applause to spread much further. The Sorcerer King descended onto the wall, an aura of dark radiance surrounding him. He looked kingly and majestic, and his haughty glare swept the crowd.

Orik could only describe him as divine, like a God of Death come to judge his people.

Please leave reviews! I always want to hear what people think.


	5. Chapter 5

Authors Note: I thought I would write one thats a bit longer this time. Let me know if you want three parts per chapter or four. I might do five if you guys wanted that. It will take a bit longer to write however.

Chapter 5 Part 1: Demiurge

Demiurge carefully checked over his red suit for particles of dust. After finding one, he brushed it off in an elegant and stylish motion. He adjusted his lapels, and adjusted the suits fit around his shoulders. Once he had determined that he was dressed acceptably well, he headed towards his master's quarters.

The door was guarded by two Muspelheim Knights. The Muspelheim Knights were level 60 monsters that the Supreme Beings had seen fit to place on Demiurges floor under his command. They were similar in appearance to Death Knights, though they were taller. Instead of an aura of death, they emitted scorching heat which did fire debuffs in an AOE. Embers and coals and glowing lava made up their body, while their shield was made of obsidian with rivulets of lava coursing down it. Their eyes were two glowing coals.

After seeing Demiurge, the two knights bowed and moved their shields so that the door was exposed. He pulled and released the golden knocker, creating a dull boom.

"Ainz-sama, it is I, Demiurge."

"Ahh, Demiurge, please give me a second."

Demiurge waited for about a minute before he heard his master's voice ring out again,

"Come in."

Demiurge stepped through the door with a spring in his step. He bowed before Ainz.

"Please, take a seat."

Demiurge respectfully declined.

"I insist."

"Thank you Ainz-sama! To think you would be so kind to your servant!"

Ainz looked at him piercingly. Demiurge saw the flame of deep wisdom in the crimson light of his eyes. He imagined that he was watching plans being developed even as Ainz spoke to him. ' _How delightful it is to be in his presence._ '

"Demiurge, do you have something to report?'

"Ahh, yes I do. The people of the kingdom were shaken up by the appearance of the Frost Wyrm. As a result of your magnanimous assistance, these insects have become grateful to you. I believe it is now time to execute the third part of your plan!"

"Ah yes, the third part of my plan. Demiurge, I trust I can leave it to you?"

Demiurge smiled delightedly.

"I am grateful that you would entrust this work to me. I will make sure that they give the required amount of grain as recompense for your troubles."

 _'I hope there's more to this plan then just taking grain from the Kingdom as payment for helping them fight the Wyrm. NO! It's Ainz-sama I'm talking about. There must be more to it.'_

"Grain? Ah yes, the grain."

"Ainz-sama, do you have a plan for the grain? I planned to give it to the Happy Farm for use, but I am curious to hear your opinion."

"No, that should work. Wait, actually, give some of it to that girl in the Holy Kingdom. Ney? Neia! She can give it to the people there to help them to recover from Jaldabaoth."

"Ainz-sama, how could I have missed such an obvious solution! That will also help Neia convince the people of your goodness, and maybe even your divinity, if certain factors work out. Truly, you are the greatest in Nazarick!"

"No, no, Demiurge, I feel like you are more capable than I could ever be."

"How could that be? You ar-"

"-Enough."

Demiurge bowed deeply.

"My apologies, Ainz-sama. Shall I see to ensuring the Kingdom gives you your compensation?"

"No, use someone else. You might be recognized. How about using Aureole Omega? She hasn't seen much use and she isn't currently busy. Is that alright?"

"If Ainz-sama says that it is good, then it is,"

"Demiurge, that sort of thinking leads only to disaster."

"Very well. I think that would work."

"Then, is there anything else?"

Demiurge pointed to the Elvish Kingdom on the map that lay on the table.

"I think it would be good to begin our plans for the Elvish Kingdom"

His master paused, and scratched a bony head. If Demiurge didn't know better, he'd say he was surprised.

"What plan?"

"Pardon, Ainz-sama? Did you whisper something?"

"No. Demiurge, I trust you to deal with the plan. You don't need me."

"Well, Ainz-sama I was just going to ask you: who should I send to take care of the plan?"

3

"What part of the, ah, of my, plan are you referring to exactly? It will help me make this decision"

"How foolish of me to assume there was only one facet of one of Ainz-sama's plans! I had only seen one part of your plan. Forgive me for thinking guiding the Ratmen to attack the Elvish Kingdom was the main objective, so that we could swoop in and save them. Though, thinking about it now in your enlightened presence, it would have the added effect of allowing us to bolster the Elves against the Slane Theocracy when we rebuff the Ratmen attack."

Ainz sighed.

"Don't look down on yourself. In that case, send Yuri. She is the oldest, strongest, and wisest of the Pleiades. Will that be all?"

"Yes Ainz-sama."

"Good. Thank you for visiting"

Demiurge bowed and left the room. ' _How nice it is to discuss things with Ainz-sama! He always has some insight that reveals some detail I missed.'_ Demiurge shivered in delight at the memory. ' _To think he called me capable!'_

He headed down to the 8th floor to visit the Cherry Blossom Sanctuary. It was time to make the Supreme One proud.

Part 2:

Renner stared at the guest waiting in the audience chamber. Albedo-sama had not been able to visit, though over [Message] she had quickly briefed Renner on who she was. She was apparently a highly ranked and powerful servant of the Sorcerer King, and was to be treated with respect.

The guest was a girl standing at about 1.5 meters. She had neat hair done up in a bob, and slanted eyes. Her kimono was a gentle and layered pink reminiscent of cherry tree flowers up to her waist, where it transitioned to a pure white. She held a fan demurely in a delicate hand. Like most of the female emissaries from the Sorcerous Kingdom, she was exquisitely beautiful.

The girl stepped forward.

"Greetings, Renner-sama. I am an envoy from the Sorcerous Kingdom. It would please me to be addressed as Aureole."

"Greetings Aureole-kun. I see you know who I am. Come, let us have some tea while we discuss the reason for your visit."

They were within a chamber in the palace. It was a few well-lit hallways away from the entrance, and it was positioned next to a grand window showing the courtyard where soldiers were training. It was 10 meters long and 5 meters wide, and, although it was richly furnished, it was a small space.

A maid stepped forward holding a teapot, and poured them equal amounts of tea with practiced movements. Aureole gracefully picked up and sipped the tea.

"Thank you for the tea, Renner-sama."

"It is no problem to give gifts to an honored envoy of our neighbor."

They both drank their tea. After a couple seconds Renner put her cup down. ' _Time to discuss business_.'

"Maid, please leave us."

The maid bowed and left.

"Why have you come? Albedo said it was to discuss recent events."

"Yes. I am here to instruct you to send thirty tons of grain to the Sorcerous Kingdom as thanks for my masters generous intervention in the monster attack."

Renner grinned. The knowledge of the further difficulties this would inflict on her ailing kingdom filled her with sadistic joy. Renner did not hold any sentimental value in the Kingdom, and was glad to help aid Ainz Ooal Gown in completing his master plan.

"Of course I will send the grain. Maybe even a bit more, as His Majesty was VERY kind to help us in our hour of need."

Aureole's serene expression gave way to a slight grin.

"If that is worked out, then I must be on my way, Renner-sama."

"Understood. I will convince my brother that it is necessary. Hopefully the moron will be able to convince the nobles."

Part 3: Yuri

Yuri was the most composed of the Pleiades. Some part of her guessed that was a reason she was chosen fro this mission. Another reason was her positive karma. She was generally kind to all beings, and therefore was much better to send out on a diplomatic mission than say, Narberal.

But even her patience and general goodwill was threatened by the Ratmen. She had been waiting here for half an hour, watching them scurry around like animals.

Yuri took out the description of them she had been given by Demiurge, which was an excerpt from a famous explorer during the Era of the Six Great Gods. She began to reread it for the fourth time.

"The tallest among them stood at about 4 feet tall. The hunched over, and scurried like rats when they walked. Not a single one of them was clean, and indeed they were so pestilent that their species had evolved powerful toxin resistances. The Ratmen were fairly intelligent however, and unlike most Demihumans, they live in underground towns made of tunnel networks. They had stone weapons, and mediocre armor, and even some ranged weapons. The Ratmen spells are unlike anything i've ever seen. They seem to be using a method of magic most similar to Wild Magic. It doesn't have tiers, but instead requires the user to mutilate themselves. The most powerful Ratmen Shamans have no arms or legs, and are carried around. They are apparently worshipped as enlightened beings by the other Ratmen. In regards to the effects of their magic, they have many area of effect attacks that shoot poisonous mists or things like that. I witnessed one Shaman who could cast a spell which killed the enemy instantly once a week."

Yuri put the paper back in her pocket. She stood in front of the entrance to a cave that had been specified as the entrance to an underground lair of the Ratmen. She saw Ratmen scurrying about inside, watching her, but none came out.

Yuri assumed they didn't know she could see them. ' _Should I wait, or call out?'_ After three more minutes of waiting, Yuri made a decision.

"Ratmen, bring your leader outside to parley. You have five minutes before I will be forced to cause a tunnel collapse."

There was a sudden amount of frantic movement in response to her declaration, before a Ratman was carried out. Like the description said, he was lacking all of his limbs. She gathered he was the head shaman.

Shortly after, another Ratman came out. He had a sword and scavenged iron armor, and upon his head was a metal helmet. None of the other Ratmen had a helmet. ' _It must be a crown of some sort._ ' He was surrounded by at least thirty guards with spears and shields.

One of the Ratmen next to him stepped forward and spoke in a nasally whine.

"Know who you are, we do not. But assume we will suffer your impertinence, you should not. Kneel, you must, before the rightful Lord of the Ratmen."

Yuri sighed. She was not prone to violence, but that would not stop her from killing to fulfill the wishes of Ainz-sama. Faster than the reflexes of the Ratman could react to, she stepped forward and delivered a Ki enhanced blow to it's head. It's head was not blown off of it's shoulders, but there was an audible crack as her gauntlet plowed through his skull. Several vertebrae snapped, and the Ratman was tossed 20 meters backwards into the darkness of the cave entrance, to collide with a splat against the cave wall.

After their reflexes caught up, the Ratmen stepped back in fear. Suddenly she felt her resistances war against the instant death spell cast against her by the Shaman. Thankfully Demiurge had seen fit to lend her an item that gave brief immunity to instant death spells.

The Shaman gaped in shock at his spells failure for half a second. Then his head was also smashed in as well, sending him flying of the platform he was being carried on. The acolytes carrying him wailed before they were extinguished as well.

Like a whirlwind, Yuri demolished the low level guards around the Ratmen Lord. In the short time that took her, the Lord started to scurry back towards the cave, and to safety. She executed the last guard, and dashed after him.

She caught him just as he was about to make it. She picked him up and held a bloodstained gauntlet infused with Ki next to his head. She addressed the cave.

"I have some demands to make."

Scarcely thirty minutes passed before Yuri Alpha was ushered down a dark corridor. It led to an ornate table obviously stolen from somewhere. Several Ratmen were gathered around. As she entered, they introduced themselves.

"Quell Headeater, Master of Defense"

"Skrol Heartrender, Master Alchemist"

"Keert Voidmaster, Shaman Lord"

"Gingid Hornblower, Head Engineer"

And finally,

"Radasag, the Lord of the Ratmen."

Yuri bowed, before speaking up. She had been instructed to tell them very specific things.

"I am Cumei Criori, a representative of the Slane Theocracy. I have come to instruct you to attack the Elvish Kingdom. If you do not, I'm afraid my country will have no choice but to destroy you. If you do, we will lavish rewards upon you."

The Ratmen huddled together, before the Lord stepped forward.

"Decided, we have. Our people like trinkets, weapons. Give them to use and attack the pointy-eared, we will. We will want at least 7,000 sets of armor."

Yuri frowned.

"I will need to consult my mast- my superior before I can come back to you."

She stepped outside.

[Message] "Ainz-sama?"

"Hmm? Yuri, is there a problem?"

"Yes Ainz-sama. The Ratmen are requesting that we give them weapons. Can we accommodate them?"

"How much armor do they want?"

"Enough for 7,000 Ratmen."

"Bargain them down. Also, see what kind of armor they want."

Yuri stepped back into the room.

"Radasag-dono, we cannot give you 7,000. You will have to go lower."

The Ratmen gathered for awhile.

"The lowest we can allow is 5,000."

Yuri swiftly responded.

"The highest we can go is 500 sets."

The greedy Ratmen quickly recognized the language of bartering.

"Perhaps 4,000 if we felt desperate."

"We might scrounge together 1,000. if we looked hard"

Eventually they agreed on 2,000 sets of breastplates and greaves.

[Message] "Ainz-sama, I bargained the Ratmen down to 2,000 breastplates and greaves."

"Good work Yuri. Tell them we will have it ready in two months, but only if they attack in one month. Demiurge says that is a good timetable. I'll create skeletons to hammer out the metal, and the dwarfs can oversee it."

"Thank you, Ainz-sama."

Yuri walked over the Ratmen.

"Radasag-dono, we will give you the 2,000 sets in two months, but you must attack the Elves in under a month."

"But surely we would attack them better if properly equipped?"

"My superior's have told me that isn't necessary. The armor may be delivered during the assault if you take awhile."

"Very well."

"I will stay here to supervise your efforts during that period. If you take awhile to attack so you can receive your armor, we will destroy you. Do not attempt to deceive us."

Part 4: Quell Headeater, Master of Defense

Over the past month, his race had worked furiously. They prided themselves on their wild productivity, and they lived up to their namesake in the way they worked.

Quell stood by and observed a group of five Ratmen swarming over a pile of wood. Over the half an hour he watched, the managed to construct the frame of a catapult. Quell always enjoyed watching his brethren at work. Elsewhere, Ratmen were mining and carrying the hunks of stone into piles.

Crude armor made of chips of stone sewn into leather was made.

Spears were fitted to hafts.

Alchemists infused weapons with poisons and pestilences.

Shamans gathered into a huge ritual to create giant monsters of filth and magical poison called Pestilent Golems.

All around him, the clan was abuzz with energy.

The Ratmen were relatively advanced farmers, they had vast fields of underground plants, and huge pens of animals, which were harvested and preserved.

The main animal were giant herbivores called Penganins, which were lumbering animals which ate mushrooms. They grew quickly to prodigious size, and were very hardy animals, making them great animals to raise for food.

Thousands of Penganins were slaughtered, and the meat was salted and made ready for travel.

They mounted their Giant Rats, and fitted saddles to their broad backs.

The Ratmen hordes were ready for war.

It was hard for Quell to read human expressions, but the envoy had seemed pleased at their progress.

Quell scurried forward toward the mouth of the cave. Waiting for him was a Giant Rat. It was armored in the bones of long dead enemies, and had a pair of horns attached to it's head. By rights it should look ridiculous, but it managed to look terrifying instead.

He got onto the Giant Rat, and signaled to a pair of Ratmen holding a giant drum. They started beating it in a slow rhythmic beat.

The first of the countless thousands of Ratmen started to head out of the cave, in large mobs. Most of them only held clubs and wore loincloths, but they made up for their lack of troop quality with their sheer quantity. They filled a role of slaves in society, and they could overwhelm enemies by throwing themselves onto them and wearing them down. There were bout 30,000 of them.

Eventually, the true muscle of the army arrived. Rank after rank of Ratmen walked by in disciplined lines, wearing stone and leather armor and holding spears. They were formidable and well trained soldiers, able to go head to head with most humans, and some Demihumans. There were 10,000 of them.

Behind them, Ratmen pushed the newly constructed Ballistae and catapults, weapons which they alone had developed due to their lack of powerful ranged attack spells. there were about 20 of such weapons.

After that came the slingers. More unwashed hordes of Ratmen, but with slings and a pouch of pebbles. They learned how to throw massive volleys of the rocks at high speeds. The projectiles were surprisingly dangerous, and made very effective skirmishers.

After that came several hundred proud Ratmen on Giant Rats. They were the best of the best and they knew it. They held swords and long spears, and rode with skill borne of years of practice. Any one of them was capable of taking down a fully grown Zoastia* on an open field. There were about 800 of them.

 ***If you don't remember, Zoastia's are like centaurs, but with the lower bodies of carnivores.**

After them came the last of the Ratmen slaves.

Littered through the massive horde, Ratmen carrying drums kept the beat.

Quell allowed himself a smile. Even he could feel pride in the martial prowess of his nation. The reason they had accepted the deal for a measly 2,000 breastplates, barely enough to armor the Giant Rat Riders was simple. They were a very greedy species, and the opportunity to loot from an entire nation which was already vulnerable losing a war made drool fall from his whiskers. Being rewarded further was icing on the cake. The Ratmen specialized at attacking unprepared and vulnerable enemies. It would be a slaughter.

The elves wouldn't know what him them

Hey guys! Leave reviews please, I love to hear from you guys. Next chapter might be tomorrow or the day after. Hail Ainz-sama 


	6. Chapter 6

Author's note: I'm going to focus on more rapid shorter chapters rather than long chapters with long intervals between them. Also, it would help me out if you guys would leave reviews about parts you like or dislike. Hail Ainz-sama!

Chapter 6 Part 1: Elvish Envoy, Caro Arcto

He had been riding hard for almost three days. His horse was well trained, and it had been selected from the healthiest stock of horse. Over the centuries, the fabled Stablemaster, Uthith Urubaen had bred it's stock to possess fantastic endurance and speed.

But even the mighty horse could not run forever. It had collapsed on the side of the road, panting. It lay there gasping with its feet in the water for a day. He had finally convinced it to carry him further, but it would only trot. 'Still faster than walking' Caro had thought, so he kept going.

On the fifth day they had attracted the attention of a nearby Barrowhound pack, which had trailed them for two days. He had been forced to forego sleep to keep watch. Luckily Caro was nearly 700, and possessed the fortitude and determination normal for his age. However even he was rapidly wearing thin.

But he would not fail!

He knew his mission. 'Reach the Sorcerous Kingdom and beg for assistance.'

Many Elves had been sent to nearby nations, begging assistance. He had been assigned to go to the Sorcerous Kingdom. Caro was dubious that a dreaded undead could be convinced to help the living, but he had been told to go with it.

At last, he was close. In the distance he saw the legendary walls of E-Rantel, and cobbled roads. Peasants walked along the roads, accompanied by the undead. He saw a man with three skeletons next to him. Each of the skeletons had a massive pack on it's back. Along the road giant undead knights strode at regular intervals, every hundred meters or so.

He guided his horse onto a road, and galloped towards them. Behind him, the Barrowhounds realized they were about to lose their prey. They raced after him, snarling. Their blood red hides gleamed with sweat, and their eyes glowed red. However, as soon as his horse touched the road, a undead knight ran towards him. It covered the ground at incredible speed.

The undead knight planted it's shield and stabbed two of the Barrowhounds in a single strike. It lay about with powerful strikes and savage thrusts. It killed the others in seconds. Caro reined in his horse and watched in amazement. He had been alerted that undead were everywhere, and that some were frighteningly powerful. It was one thing to hear that, and another to see a single entity kill a large pack of monsters he could only run from. For a second he thought; 'Maybe this Kingdom isn't that bad. Seems safe at least.'

Then he was reminded why the undead were so hated. Groaning, the Barrowhounds rose to their feet. Where once they were blood red with glowing eyes, now they were grey and they had black pits instead. 'They got turned into undead! What manner of being is that knight?!'

Around him, peasants chuckled at his shock and disgust.

They were all wearing a type of design embroidered on their shoulder. One of them who had a golden emblem stepped forward.

"You'll get used to them. Where are you headed?"

"I need to see the Sorcerous King immediately. Where does he reside?"

"His Majesty is in a special building in the city. Don't worry, you will be guided. As for immediately, His Majesty is very busy. But I'm sure he will make time if your cause is desperate enough."

"If I may ask, what are these emblems on your shoulders?"

"They are identification tags. His Majesty proposed them to show rank, and who is a citizen and who is visiting."

"Thank you. But why do you address a filthy undead as 'His Majesty?'"

Behind him, the Death Knight lurched menacingly at the word 'filthy.'. 'They must be compelled by the threat of these monsters everywhere.'

"We used to be scared of him as well. But His Majesty has always treated us fairly. Perhaps he is undead, but I've never had a better leader. He suggests novel and effective ideas which have revolutionized the city. Under his rule we have enjoyed never before seen prosperity."

"Truly? You honestly respect him?"

"Yes."

With that simple response, Caro spurred his horse toward the gates.

Once he got through them, he was ushered to a small building, with a sign reading "Workshop." Inside was a Naga going through some papers. When Caro came in, he looked up.

"Before you enter the city, there are some rules you must know."

He proceeded to tell him never to draw his weapon unless in self-defense, to treat all denizens with respect, and to beware of all manner of diverse and sometimes frightening beings.

"Any questions?"

"I have a few, but I'm in a hurry. Are there any humanoids here?"

"Yes. In fact the population is mostly humanoids. But we have members of hundreds of species living here, even if there are only two or three."

"Thank you. Also, where is the Sorcerer King's palace?"

"His Majesty works in that building down over there. See it?"

The Naga pointed at a building made of marble nearby It had a columned base and a domed roof. All around it were flags fluttering crimson and gold with the emblem of the Sorcerous Kingdom. Demihumans and Humanoids wandered around.

"Yes. Is it really that small? Seems a bit dull for an undead king."

"His Majesty could construct anything he wishes, he just doesnt desire such a space."

"Finally, is he really a good leader?"

"I would think so. He is very wise, and he makes decisions that have factors included that bugger the imagination. I would rather live in the forest with my tribe than live here, but as it goes, it's not that bad."

"Are you held here by force?"

"I owe His Majesty a debt, after insulting him gravely. I think you ought to be on your way. I'll be here when you come back."

"Of course. Thank you again."

Caro headed out the door, and walked over to the building. His horse was taken and placed in a stable. He was directed through a couple hallways, where he found a ornate door next to a desk. A line of almost fifty people was waiting there. Every couple minutes someone would exit through the door, looking relieved and satisfied, and the line would step forward. 'Oh well. Guess i'm in for a wait.' He approached the desk. Seated there was a young man reading some sort of paper.

"Hello. I'm an emissary from the Elvish Kingdom requesting aid. Can I be seen soon? I'm in a bit of a rush."

"Ah, Elf-dono. His Majesty predicted your country would send somebody. Right this way."

He was ushered through the door in front of the line. There were muttered complaints from the people in the line.

When the door was opened, he gasped. The room was not extraordinary in any way, but the beings in it were. Seated on the throne was an undead. He could not compare it to anything he had ever seen. It was terrifying and dangerous. Yet it also emitted an air of holiness and power. Standing next to it was a woman of dark and seductive beauty, with wings sprouting from her waist and horns from her head. He considered the Elves to be a beautiful people, but she put the Elven maidens to shame. He gaped for a solid second before recovering his composure.

He prostrated himself. Generally the Elves were a stiff-kneed people, but in the face of such grandeur it seemed natural.

"Your Majesty, I am an envoy from the Elvish Kingdom. My name is Caro Arcto."

A noble and almost musical voice layered with overlapping timbres and deep intonations responded.

"Greetings, Arcto-san. I am the Sorcerer King, Ainz Ooal Gown. What is the nature of your request?"

"I come in desperate times. My people are on the brink of total defeat at the hands of the Slane Theocracy and an invading tribe of opportunist Ratmen. If we are to stave of our imminent extinction, we will need your help."

"Umu. As much as I consider myself benevolent, even I will not help a nation without recompense. Is there anything you have to offer?"

"Your Majesty, I was sent from my Kingdom in a time of great haste. I was told anything available to offer. But if I may speak frankly, if you save us, you will have us over the fire. You can demand anything you want.

"I may demand many things which are difficult to fulfill. Are you prepared to give them?"

"We will give anything at all for the survival of our species."

"Then I will lend you the strength of nation."

Part 2: Quell Headeater.

Quell Headeater looked at the spread map on the table. Littered on it were several carven statues of Ratmen and Elvish forces. Most of the Ratmen were in one central area, while the Elves were more spread. On the northern side of the map the Slane Theocracy's forces were arrayed.

The spies the envoy (Yuri Alpha in disguise) possessed must have been omnipotent because the Ratmen had never enjoyed such detailed and accurate knowledge of troop movements. Despite the Elves knowledge of the terrain and the martial prowess born of centuries of training, they were being steadily pushed back before the combined assault.

He picked up a Ratmen piece, and dramatically knocked over a piece designating an Elvish stronghold.

"Destroyed the fortress utterly, we have. Inyedell is no more!"

His fellow generals cheered, and raised a toast of stolen Elvish wine. The Ratmen had been enjoying the spoils of war immensely. Even the lowliest of slaves was richer than when they entered the Kingdom.

"In the fortress were many blades and spears. Goblets, trinkets, shinies! Rich, we are!"

One of the only sober Ratmen spoke up.

"Headeater, are we planning on attacking the capital?"

"HAHAHA, yes, glad you asked I am! Tomorrow, in striking distance, we will be. Much loot. And slaves, elf slaves, the best available! Har har har, we will win many trinkets and much shiny metal!"

The rest of the drunken Ratmen burst into drunken laughter. Outside the tent, Ratmen were dancing and partying wildly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The next morning~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Ratmen possessed a remarkable capacity for recovering from hangovers. Gone was the drunken partying of the night before, each Ratman marched stoically onward.

Soon, they reached the capital. They saw the elegant towers of the elves, and the buildings which were painstakingly planned to be the most aesthetically pleasing. The entire city fit together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.

Cyalone was said to be the most beautiful city in the world. The Ratmen only saw undefended homes and elves to be snatched up and enslaved. Gold to steal, and Iron to plunder.

Suddenly one of the scouts came running back.

"Sir, guarding the city, strange undead are! "

"Undead? Dead, are all the elves? Another Silent City, is this?"

"No, Elves inside the city, there still are. Scared of the undead they are, but alive."

Quell Headeater pondered for a second. All around him his brethren snapped their jaws and worked themselves into a frenzy. He looked at the countless ranks of his brothers. In their thousands and thousands, they were invincible.

"Attack, we will. Even undead can't stop us."

He gave the signal, and all around him drums were beat. A wild cheer came up from the 60,000 Ratmen gathered their, and they charged towards the undead. The Giant Rat Riders quickly overtook them, and they sped towards the undead.

Finally, one of them leaped at an undead. He crashed over it, and left it in the dirt, destroyed. Or that's what they thought would happen.

Instead the undead raised its massive shield, and slammed the Giant Rat out of the air. It then killed it with a single blow to the throat, and stamped on the rider with an iron boot before it could get away. The army paused in surprise.

Suddenly, a terrible undead rose into the air. It was an Elder Lich with no skin on its face. It's eyes glowed a deep red, and a terrible aura of power surrounded it. It raised its arms.

[Gates of Hades]

A giant geometry arose around it, swirling with runes and magical circles. The undead crushed something in its fist, and the geometry swirled outward explosively before disappearing.

Suddenly, three giant portals appeared. They were giant doorways made of stone about ten meters high and five meters wide. Inside the doorframe, black fog swirled menacingly. Hundreds of undead soldiers poured out of the portals. Meanwhile the Ratmen watched as the Elder Lich summoned more and more undead. Necrofex Collosi. Sphinx Guardians. Eternal Watchers. Wardens of Unlife. Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Quell didn't know what they were, but they terrified him.

At least 100 more of the undead knights had come from somewhere, and they locked shields with their brethren, forming an impenetrable wall.

From behind them, strange skeletal horses came out. They swirled with smoke instead of flesh. The Ratmen nearest to these strange horses died instantly.

"Soul Eaters… Who is this Lich? How does he have so much power?"

Quell furiously yelled at his brothers for answers as the undead slowly encircled the Ratmen army.

Each of the skeletons wore armor, and there were some regiments which had enchanted armor. The knights, the skeletons, the Soul Eaters all started to march forward. The sky turned black with grey clouds, and bolts of negative energy fell from them like lightning. The air itself turned dark, and every Ratmen who fell stood up a few seconds later, and attacked his former comrades.

The screams of the Ratmen could be heard throughout the entire city, offset by the laughter of the Lich as he reveled in the power of his specialty. (Necromancy)

Part 3: Cardinal meeting

"Brothers, we have enjoyed some recent good luck. Those filthy Ratmen helped us for once. The Elves' defenses were finally crumbling, as you well know. But that is at an end now."

The Cardinal of Fire looked at his comrades.

"The Sorcerer King was somehow convinced to join the fray. The Ratmen army was completely destroyed."

The Cardinal of Water looked up in shock.

"Completely? We are sure EVERY Ratman was killed?"

The Cardinal of Fire slid a folder over to him.

"The Thousand Mile Astrologer has compiled a written report. Apparently they were completely surrounded by Soul Eaters, Death Knights, and an army of thousands of legendary Skeleton Warriors all apparently summoned by the Sorcerer King. He also summoned several powerful but unknown undead as well."

The Cardinal of Death spoke up.

"Well, it's nothing we haven't seen that monster be capable of doing. Though, are we completely positive he isn't Surshana-sama risen again? Zesshi is confident he isn't, but I'm not so sure."

The Cardinal of Life stood up angrily, kicking his chair behind him.

"How dare you compare that monster to one of our Gods! He is a demon!"

The Cardinal of Death stood up as well.

"Surshana-sama was not famed for his kindness! He was the God of Death! Perhaps he has come back, but instead of helping us, he is here to pass divine judgement!"

The Cardinal of Air pushed them apart. His soothing voice spoke calmingly.

"Brothers. Now is not the time to argue theology or to fight. We have two things on the table to discuss. Firstly, if the Sorcerer King lent the Elves any Death Knights or Soul Eaters. If so, what are we going to do. Secondly, discuss if the Re-Estize Kingdom is cooperating with the Sorcerous Kingdom, and if not, how we are going to help them with their famine. Apparently they were forced to give almost a quarter of the harvest to the Sorcerous Kingdom as payment for him saving the people of the capital. Alright?"

The other Cardinals nodded, and the Cardinal of Earth spoke first.

"We have not seen any Death Knights or Soul Eaters left behind. I think it is entirely possible they are waiting in ambush. Personally I think we should stop moving our forces forward and simply attack with the Holocaust Scripture. Try to kill the King maybe."

Sounds of agreement echoed around.

The Cardinal of Death spoke up.

"As for the Re-Estize Kingdom, perhaps it is better to assume they are working with him. If they aren't, their country is doomed anyway."

"I agree, but should we send aid?"

The Cardinal of Life spoke again.

"No. Our resources are spread too thin to worry about a doomed and corrupt country anyway. We need to work on things one at a time. Perhaps one day, when everything is behind us, we can work towards saving the Kingdom, but it's too chaotic right now."

Once again, murmurs of agreement sounded out.

The Cardinal of Fire stood up.

"Remember, don't let Zesshi meet hear about the Sorcerer King. She will want to fight him, and she is our strongest trump card. Also, we all know how weird she is. Even though he's a skeleton, if she loses she will want to copulate with him. Need I say why that can't be allowed?"

Everyone nodded their heads.

"Dismissed. Good work brothers. We will talk again this time tomorrow."

One by one, all the cardinals shuffled out. Their heads were high, but their hearts were full of doubt.

Remember to leave reviews! Also, if you want to influence the next plot arc, leave a suggestion.

Undead Descriptions:

Necrofex Collosi: Giant's made of hundreds of interlocking bones. Similar to Skeletal Dragons. Lvl 50

Sphinx Guardians: Supposedly guard the gates of hell. They are made of stone that was animated by negative energy. Lvl 55

Eternal Watchers. Giant floating eyes. They possess a ranged attack similar to a laser. They have a special ability which allows them to bypass all anti-fear countermeasures, and they emit a powerful AOE fear debuff. Lvl 60

Wardens of Unlife. Similar to death knights, but taller and armed with a halberds. Lvl 45

Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Four horsemen which are melee/magic caster hybrids. Possess powerful attack magic. Lvl 60


	7. Chapter 7

Author's note: Let me know what direction you guys want me to go in in the future. Would you guys prefer epic battles or intrigue and stuff. Let me know down below. Also, chapters will be significantly longer, but less often. Hail Ainz-sama!

Chapter 7 Part 1: Deep Darkness Dragon Lord

Deep underground, a single eye opened. It was amber, but flecked with black and white. Then another eye slid open. The cavern was bathed in the light of that amber gaze. A massive head raised from its position on the floor. Dust streamed off of its head in torrents, forming small piles on the floor. Its neck twisted and shook as muscles were used for the first time in centuries. Slowly, it rose to its feet, shaking stiffness out of sore limbs. A deep sigh, and then a sniff.

"Hmmm…"

The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord Tenebris'Altum Serpens padded forward. Despite its massive size, it was stealthy and almost quiet in its home environment. Its head struck the ceiling, causing sparks to illuminate the gloom.

"I never struck my head there before. I must have grown during my sleep. How long have I dreamt?"

A sudden thought struck Tenebris. He looked at the floor. Laying on the ground was its only treasure. The item was a club about two feet long with a single iron band around it. It had come to him on the belt of a human explorer. He had defeated the human after a long battle, and taken the item for himself. The human had called it the World Class item [World Savior]. he had won in the end, but he knew it was a powerful item indeed. In his battle with the human, every hit landed on him was twice as powerful as the one after, and in the final moments of their battle, a tap from [World Savior] had crushed half of his ribs.

He glanced over at the only other thing in his cavern: a corpse. It was the remains of the human, still suspended in a position reminiscent of a cross. Chains bound its body and extended from its limbs to places on the floor. Tenebris had created the chains from Wild Magic. Tenebris still remembered the final moments of the battle.

His ribs were crushed, his limbs bloody and bruised and blood dripped from his maw. The human was missing an arm, and most of his legs was torn away and his chest was gouged and ripped. He was leaning against the stalagmite, but he held [World Savior] in front of him. Tenebris had known even a brush from it would finish him in this state. Tenebris briefly considered his options, and concluded it was necessary. He had allowed the Wild Magic to flow through him, and directed it toward his opponent. He felt his life force being drained. Then, the battle was over.

"Still, what has awoken me?"

Then he smelled it. Death. Decay. His dragon senses helped him locate the origin of the smell, which was right outside his home. Tenebris called it a cavern, but it was actually an artificial cave carved out at the bottom of the Great Rifts by himself early in his life. Over the years, stalagmites and stalactites had extended from the roof and floor, giving it a natural look.

There, impaled on a spike of rock was a undead knight. Another one lay nearby. Littered around were the corpses of strange mole-like Demihumans.

"A Death Knight? The Greed Kings were the only ones who cold summon those. Guess I wasn't asleep that long after all if they are still around."

He sniffed again, and then continued muttering.

"But something feels wrong. The world feels different. Older. And there are new powers at play. Hmmm… My brethren. So many dead. He's still here though."

Suddenly an unmistakable smell reached his sensitive nose.

"Another rift between worlds. Another great evil stalks this place. I will not allow it to wreak its havoc again. I learned last time the folly of a bystander."

He picked up the club in a talon, and then Tenebris crouched, and looked upward. He spread giant, black wings and shook them. More dust streamed off, onto the floor. He flapped, thrusting himself into the air, and then started to fly up the Great Rift.

"Now that I'm awake, I may as well visit the surface."

Almost an hour later, he rose from the Great Rift. He twisted in the air, and landed on all fours. A cloud of black mist clung to his body. When he landed, cracks spread from his feet. A party of dwarves lugging supplies stumbled and fell in surprise, before running frantically.

"Dragon!"

"It's massive!"

"Run, alert the Council!"

"Out of my way!"

Leisurely, Tenebris reached out and picked one of them up. It squeaked.

"Please don't eat me!"

"Oh I won't. I just need you to answer some questions.

Many questions later, he put down the petrified dwarf.

"Thank you for your cooperation. Run along now."

The dwarf scampered off. Tenebris flapped his massive wings and looked for the old exit. He eventually found it after a couple wrong turns. A couple centuries aren't good for memory. He had missed it a few times because it had caved in, making it harder to find the once open hole. He breathed in, and then bathed the rocks in plasma which crackled with lightning. The rocks shook, and glowed red hot. Soon they started to melt, flowing in rivulets of lava around the feet of the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord, and cavern was bathed in furious light and heat. In no time, the way was clear.

Tenebris squeezed through the molten exit and took to the air again. It had been so long since he was bathed in the bright sun and fresh air of the surface that he almost smiled. It was pleasant, though the terrified shrieks of the people who saw him flying low overhead soon reminded him why he so enjoyed the peace of his underground lair.

He stretched his wings to their fullest and glided on a warm updraft, before tucking them and dive bombing a poor farmer. At the last second he pulled up, and flew away, laughing happily. 'It's so good to be awake again!'

He flew with a destination in mind: the last child of the Dragon Emperor Tsaindorcus Vaison, the brightest flame of dragonkind. Eventually he started seeing the towns and cities of the Argland Council State. Tenebris didn't recognize any of the towns, but he though he recognized parts of a city.

"That was a town the last time I came this way. I see its grown quite a bit."

Finally, he arrived at the largest city yet. He could smell Tsaindorcus's presence, and he headed over to where the smell originated from. He dove towards a town square, and landed with a thud. Around him, people looked up reverently, and fearfully. But none tried to run. There were humans, demihumans, and even a few heteromorphs walking around, and all looked at his massive frame in awe. He held his head up high, and looked at the watchers haughtily.

"Where is the Platinum Dragon Lord? Tell him that his brother has awoken from his slumber."

He wasn't his true brothers, but in their youth, they had been close enough to swear that they were. The had grown apart with age, but were still closer than any other two dragons.

A peasant stepped forward, and bowed.

"Your Majesty, The Platinum Dragon Lord never leaves his chambers. But he stays over there."

He pointed at a building that was essentially a giant colosseum covered with flaps of cloth on suspended from a wooden frame. A massive door was set into its side. Tenebris nodded his thanks at the starstruck peasant, and walked over to the door. With a groan, the massive door opened, and Tenebris stepped inside. Once it would have been perfectly sized for him, but now he had to dip his head to enter the tunnel. He walked through, and the door closed behind him before any of the onlookers could even see the interior.

The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord saw his brother laying curled around the arena, with his head laying upon to massive forepaws. Mounds of treasure were strewn about his dias. A wickedly sharp looking sword rested against his side. His electric blue eyes were open, and fixed on Tenebris' dark form.

"Tenebris. It's been awhile. What prompted you to wake from your slumbers?"

"I was disturbed by falling creatures landing outside my lair. Death Knights. Have the Greed Kings returned? I can sense that same feeling of something unnatural in the world."

Dragon's had many magical perceptive abilities which were like passive spy spells. Completely uncounterable, but they only gave vague intuitions instead of concrete knowledge

"Fortunately it is not them. Unfortunately, it's worse. As you know, every two hundred years or so, unnaturally strong entities join our world, for better or for worse. That same force stains the world again, and I'm afraid that they aren't here for better."

"Tsain, you must tell me everything about this."

"I will tell you what I know. I have pierced this together from my own observations and that of others. Two powerful entities joined the world. Either they were the first, or they were the first to make themselves known. Momon and Honyopenyoko. Momon is a hero of great power and righteousness; he works assuredly for good. The second is Vampire of incredible might as well. I fought her in my armor, and I lost. Momon killed the vampire, though with extreme difficulty. I saw the marks of the battle, and I know for a fact that Momon is over level 70, because he used the super-tier spell [Fallen Down], which I witnessed one of the Greed Kings use. It's mark on the battlefield is unmistakable. He also killed and fought Jaldabaoth, a powerful demon that is also high level. Sometime later, the Kingdom and the Empire had their yearly battle, but a third super powerful entity, the Undead Sorcerer King, Ainz Ooal Gown massacred almost the entire Kingdom Army with one spell. He is the most powerful one of the three it seems. I'd say he is stronger than I am as well. Finally, Jaldabaoth re-surfaced in the Holy Kingdom-"

"- The Holy Kingdom?"

"It is a kingdom that split from the Slane Theocracy. In recent years . . . In any case, Jaldabaoth wreaked havoc on the kingdom. Ainz Ooal Gown, who founded the Sorcerous Kingdom recently, was somehow convinced to intervene and slay Jaldabaoth, which he did. I have a magical recording of their two battles."

[Encounter Etching]

Tenebris watched in shock and dismay as he watched spells being flung about of such strength they made him doubt his own formidable magic. Lightning, meteors, volcanic flames, tornadoes, beams of light, fire and shadow, hundreds of other spells as well.

"That is a powerful magic. Are you sure he is evil, Tsain? He seems to be an interventionist, and was at least convinced to fight for good. And at least he founded a kingdom instead of killing anyone."

"So far he has killed over a hundred thousand people, Tenebris. Even if he was provoked, that's a massive casualty count."

Tenebris lay down next to his eldest brother.

"I see that much has changed since I was asleep. How long has it been?"

"Almost 500 years."

"500 years?!"

"Yes. Come, let me fill you in on all that you have missed."

The two dragons discussed much throughout the night. Eventually, they returned to the topic of the present, and began to discuss plans for the future.

"I think we must work to remove Ainz Ooal Gown. Remember what happened when we allowed players to roam free last time? They conquered the world and laid our lesser brethren low."

"Yes. Now that I have you here, we are strong enough to fight at least one of them and to win. For the first time in nearly two centuries, I will leave this place. Let's see what we can learn by flying around E-Rantel."

Peasants watched in awe as two massive dragons burst through the roof of the enclosure, shattering the wooden braces. One as bright and electric as platinum, the other as black and dark as night.

Part 2: Platinum Dragon Lord Tsaindorcus Vaision

He flew high above the land. It had been a long time since he had drifted through the clouds that he had partially forgotten the splendor. It put him in a good mood. Another thing that helped his mood was the presence of his brother beside him.

His brother had not helped against the Greed Kings, and although Tsain was unsure if he regretted it, he knew Tenebris was upset that he had failed to prevent the deaths of his closest friends. Still, Tsain was surprised to see Tenebris show up this time. 'If he didn't show up when all his friends were massacred, why did he show up now?'

He looked down and to his left. 300 meters below him, his brother glided through the air. 'He's grown quite a bit.' Indeed, his brother was as large as he was now, and he could feel the Wild Magic emanating from him. 'He has grown strong in his sleep. Maybe I should try closing my eyes for a century or two.'

Then Tsain looked down on the innocent towns below him. They didn't know the danger they were in. 'A player stalks this world again. I cannot afford to sleep.' His heart filled with determination.

He thought he heard something coming from the forest below. Far underneath their feet they spied a group of Demihumans attacking a small band of humans. Tsain thought about interfering, but decided against it. Tenebris apparently disagreed, and dove downwards.

"Where are you going? They are just humans!"

Tenebris ignored him and landed in between the two groups. A massive dragon dropping from the sky and landing in front of you with a throat glowing from the breath attack waiting to be unleashed, and with eyes staring you down is enough to scare the most courageous Demihuman, and it had the desired effect on these unfortunate creatures.

They scrambled back in shock, dropping their weapons and soiling themselves.

"I had some questions for these humans. Killing them angers me."

His voice sounded like stone being ground against stone, and was punctuated by a growl. Tenebris stepped forward and started to attack. It was over in seconds. After he was done eating, he turned to the terrified humans. Tsain landed behind him.

"So, humans. I don't get out much, and I have some questions about the world that my brother hasn't answered. That's where you come in."

Draconic smiles aren't exactly comforting.

"I want you to tell me about the Sorcerer King. Everything you know."

Unsurprisingly, the humans didn't hold any information back.

"Well, thank you for your help. But I'm afraid I can't let you go. We need to operate in the utmost secrecy for a while."

Tsain watched as his brother's mouth opened, and fire started to light up his throat. 'I can't let him kill them. It is not our way. Well, its not MY way.' He slammed against Tenebris, interrupting him.

"Don't kill them. After all, they did help us. Just wipe their memory."

With a growl, Tenebris closed his maw. He shut his eyes and concentrated. After a second, he opened his mouth and exhaled gently, letting a black mist flow from his throat. The mist flowed up the noses of the humans, whose eyes rolled up into their heads. They promptly collapsed.

"Time to go, Tenebris."

The two dragons took to the air again. They had reoriented themselves towards E-Rantel thanks to the directions from the peasants, and had estimated they were a two hour flight away. Tsain would enjoy the flight while it lasted.

Part 3: Death Knight

The Death Knight stalked around the forest in a path he had taken many times already. The elves had covered the Death Knight with a patterned cloth that was enchanted to dramatically increase stealth. It was remarkably effective, as even its big shield was partially concealed. Its summoner had left it and four of its brethren behind to guard the elves from the Slane Theocracy. Apparently it was the most they could leave behind without being accused of actively supporting the Elvish Kingdom against the Slane Theocracy.

The general of the elves, Arun Sarlynn, had instructed it to stay near the Slane Theocracy's forces and to kill all people entering the forest. The amount of Zombie Squires it had gathered was testament to its efficiency. A small mob of the undead dragged themselves through the underbrush at its feet.

Arun Sarlynn had deemed it necessary to keep the Death Knights away from the Elf King, after an incident which the Death Knights dim and brutal mind remembered clearly. One of its Squires had been attacked and destroyed by the King after it had been posted outside his room.

Death Knights felt a connection to their squires, so when it it was destroyed, it and the other knights had headed over to investigate, as the squire had been killed before it could identify its assaillent. They had sensed the residue of negative energy on the Elf King and immediately attacked. The Elf King had been wounded, but not before destroying a Death Knight. Seconds later, a command from the master to stand down jolted through their murky consciousnesses.

Therefore, in order to prevent losing powerful weapons against the invaders, Arun had separated them.

The Death Knights didn't understand, but they obeyed orders mindlessly, and now prowled the forest with their typical efficiency instead of guarding the capital.

Suddenly, the Death Knight sensed humans. Humans felt different from Elves, and the Death Knights had learned to tell the difference. It's mind worked through its instructions of what to do when a target was found.

Identify target.

A Squire Zombie pulled itself forward until it saw the targets. Definitely humans. A small band, including a woman wearing a white dress with dragons enameled on it. The woman appeared to be infirm, and was being carried gently.

2\. Determine Risk.

The Squire Zombie noticed no strong individuals, and the infirm woman furthered lowered the combat strength.

3\. Attack quickly.

The Squire Zombies charged forward, followed by the Death Knight.

The Death Knight ran forward. Seconds before it would have reached the party, several humans emerged from the brush. They were dressed in black, and led by a woman with a large scythe. These mysterious humans immediately began slaying the Squire Zombies, apparently without difficulty.

The Death Knight determined that they, combined, were stronger than he was. Its helmeted head looked for avenues of escape.

Seeing none, the Knight of the Underworld charged forward. OOOOHHHHHHH! He made it a couple strides before a white static started to fill its mind. The Death Knight's vision tunneled to the woman in the dress. It lurched forward another step, and another. Its rage-filled mind frantically tried to fight off the encroaching static, but it inexorably advanced through the Death Knights consciousness.. All faded to white, and the Death Knight knew no more.

Part 3: Ainz

"What?"

He had felt a strange tugging sensation, as if something had been pulled away from him. It had come from the Elven Forest.

"Yes Ainz-sama?"

Albedo looked at him demurely.

"Summon Demiurge. Something has happened of great importance."

"Of course, Ainz-sama"

Seconds later, Demiurge, Albedo, and Ainz were in the same room. Ainz's mind was whirling down tangents as he finally made sense of the strange things that he had been unable to understand.

"Ah, Ainz-sama, may I ask why you called me here."

"Yes. One of the Death Knights I left with the elves was just ripped from my control. However, summoned monsters cannot be mind controlled normally, and undead are immune to mind control. Which means it was a World Class item! Furthermore, the only World Class item that can do that is [Downfall of Castle and Country]. It had to be the Slane Theocracy that did it. They are the only force in the area that could potentially have a motivation or the means. Which means… the Slane Theocracy brainwashed Shalltear! THEY WILL PAY! I will rip down their country and destroy what they love as payment for forcing me to kill one of the children with my own hands!"

Ainz calmed as his emotion suppressor kicked in. His subordinates were smiling, teeth bared and excited looks in their eyes, which worried Ainz until he remembered what the Slane Theocracy dared to do.

"How do we plan on laying these impertinent worms low?"

Ainz thought fast.

"We will see what they do with the Death Knight. If it gives us cause to attack them, all the better. If not, we will declare war. We will use the Death Knight as a _casus belli_ , and then rain hellfire and brimstone upon them."

Demiurge bowed. Already there was a gleam in his eye. Recently he had been busy doing the boring work of management, which although he was glad to help make Nazarick greater, he didn't enjoy. At last he could engage his brilliant mind in his favorite activity: warfare and destruction.

"Of course, Ainz-sama. I will start making the necessary preparations."

Albedo also genuflected.

"I will prepare the logistical means. By the time we are ready, you shall have thousands at your back."

"Thank you Albedo. Alert the floor guardians. Tell them to gather their subordinates and the Area Guardians. We will assemble our mightiest force yet!"

Part 4: Slane Theocracy Experimental Overseer.

Orved Riversrun rubbed his pudgy hands together. He hadn't been so excited for an experiment in ten years. In front of him was the chance of a lifetime! He could see himself skyrocketing into the upper ranks, promotion followed by promotion.

The Experimental Overseer was sort of an empty job - not many experiments were conducted that significantly affected the country. Ten years ago they had created the grand ritual for summoning Dominion Authority, which had given them a boon in funding and importance. However, they had been unable to turn up anything else noteworthy, and they had been in decline ever since.

That was all about to change. In front of him stood a daunting undead with black armor and massive weaponry. It stood completely still, but the pits of its eyes glowed softly. Its body exuded a palpable menace, and the air around it was cold. But Orved was blind to all this. All he could see was opportunity. He was motivated by more than power and promotion: he had a passion for science and magic.

The Death Knight had been instructed by Kaire, the wearer of [Downfall of Castle and Country] to obey her and anyone she indicated. She had instructed it to obey Orved. He looked at a sheet of paper which had the list of experiments. all of them on the paper had been concluded except this last one.

"Death Knight!"

It snapped to attention.

"Attack!"

Orved pointed at a captured Zoastia (centaur with lower body of a carnivore) across the arena. They were in an arena that was given to his division for testing purposes. Orved stood in the spectator stands with several other researchers. Some were taking notes, while others wrote hypothesis and theories.

The Death Knight sprinted at the Zoastia. Its massive frame caused loud thuds to be emitted with every footfall. The Zoastia gripped its warhammer tightly, and reared up on its hind legs to meet the charge. It allowed itself to fall forward to use its forward and downward momentum to increase the speed of the warhammer. The warhammer sped towards the Death Knight with incredible velocity.

The Death Knight raised its hammer and casually caught the blow on his shield. That blow would have killed almost every member of the Black Scripture if they allowed it to hit them, but the Death Knight wasn't fazed. It stepped under the guard of the Zoastia and savagely stabbed it three times. The Death Knight stepped back and allowed the Zoastia's body to fall to the ground, and then stared back up at the spectator stand with unmistakable hostility.

Seconds later, the Zoastia groaned and rose to its feet behind the Death Knight. It bled openly, but stood up without problem. A spark of negative energy flashed across its body.

Every observer suddenly got the chilling sense that they were not dealing with a tool to be understood here, they were dealing with a savage and destructive weapon which they could only control thanks to the gifts of the gods.

A researcher wrote down what they learned from the test: Able to raise dead of powerful Demihumans, Demihumans zombies still subordinate to Death Knight. Demonstrates capable ability to predict and avoid attacks, as well as quick reaction times.

"Testing concluded for today."

A chorus of "Yes Orved-dono" arose as the researchers respectfully bowed. They had been at this all day, and various species of Squire Zombies were arrayed around the arena. Not a single one of the researchers was unexcited about the prospects of the Death Knight, and they had worked till midnight, conducting hours of tests with feverish intensity.

"Death Knight!"

Once again it snapped to attention, though it glared hate at Orved.

"Guard this arena. Kill all intruders who were not present here today or are accompanied by myself."

It immediately began walking around the arena. Orved had determined that it could understand commands of even high complexity, and execute them perfectly, so he was not worried.

Orved had been instructed to make sure it could be used as a weapon, and he was sure it would perform satisfactorily. Orved had never left the country, and was unconcerned with outside affairs. Thus he was unaware of the existence of Ainz Ooal Gown or the Sorcerous Kingdom. He can be excused for thinking 'The Slane Theocracy has just gained a mighty weapon. Nothing could stop us now!"

Leave reviews! Also, sorry about the kind of inaccurate Wild Magic, but I wanted dragons to use magic without having a stash of sacrifices available at all times.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary: Aureole Omega goes to the REK and makes sure they go into decline with grain request, and the Ratmen are contacted and forced to attack elves, giving the SK an excuse to aid the elves and help them defend against the SK. The Ratmen army is destroyed. Meanwhile, the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord and the Platinum Dragon Lord meet up and discuss the past and the future. A death knight is controlled by ST via [Downfall of Castle and Country], which Ainz notices.**

Chapter 8 Part 1: Ainz

Ainz moved his skeletal hand in a scrolling motion. The view on [Mirror of Remote Viewing] shifted accordingly to follow the progress of the Death Knight as it marched down a road. On all sides were Slane Theocracy soldiers marching with alongside it. They were singing patriotic songs, and holding bright flags aloft. However, they gave the Death Knight a wide berth, so that there was a 3 meter circle cut in the formation.

The Death Knight was bedecked in blue and white cloth, the colors of the Slane Theocracy. Ainz chuckled as he imagined some tailor attempting to fit clothes on the Death Knight. The effect of the bright colors on the Death Knight was off-putting and looked rather strange. All around the Death Knight, teams of soldiers in groups of four worked together to hold balls of iron roughly 30 cm in diameter.

[Magic Vision]

Ainz cast a spell that allowed him to identify low tier magic items without having to cast individual [Appraise Magic Item]'s on them. Each of the balls was apparently enchanted with the fourth tier spell [Block Observation] which stopped low tier observation from afar.

However, when sitting on the [Throne of Kings], **(The Throne in Nazarick is actually a World Class Item gained from clearing the Nazarick dungeon)** , he gained boosted stats including a boost to his scrying spells. Therefore, he was able to quite clearly see the Death Knight as it marched onward.

Ainz had guessed that the Slane Theocracy would attempt to use the Death Knight as soon as possible: He remembered a time when his company had stolen a technology and quickly integrated it into their systems before they were sued. Then, when they were sued, they didn't have to change their operating system again, letting them essentially keep the technology. He had assumed the Slane Theocracy would also attempt to use a powerful tool before it was discovered.

Bafflingly, the Slane Theocracy appeared to be marching towards the Re-Estize Kingdom. Ainz had a vague sense of why they wouldn't attack the elves with the Death Knight, but he could only guess as to why they would attempt to attack the Re-Estize Kingdom.

It was unmistakably an attacking army. All 13 members of the Black Scripture were present, and thousands of disciplined soldiers. In fact, every scripture except the still dissolved Sunlight Scripture and the busy Holocaust Scripture was present. They had full regiments of archers, cavalry, spearmen, swordsmen, priests, magic casters, and even Hippogryph Knights, Pegasi Knights, and many more. Indeed, it was a noble force of humans reminiscent of that classic movie. _'The One Ring, or something. 'Was it The One Ring? Maybe the Ring Lord? I don't remember.'_

Ainz shook himself. _'More important things to do.'_ Demiurge had proposed several ways to destroy the enemy army, including an ambush while they were still on the road, but eventually the Guardians had decided to have Ainz and the forces of Nazarick appear just as the Slane Theocracy arrived at their destination.

Albedo had determined that they should put on a show the likes of which the world had never seen, in order to impress on the worms Ainz's greatness. Demiurge had suggested allowing the Slane Theocracy to destroy a city , and then quickly and humanely execute them. He hadn't explained his reasons to Ainz, as he was certain Ainz already knew all those reasons and more.

Eventually they had agreed to do both plans, allowing the Slane Theocracy to attack one city before snatching their victory away in a brilliant display of magic and power.

Ainz stared at his desk and rubbed fingers over his bony scalp. He still had mountains of paperwork, and he couldn't fish for answers as to what they were with Albedo since she was busy organizing for the operation.

And how she was organizing!

Deep in the bowels of Nazarick, things were moving which hasn't moved in years. The dead were raised, demons were summoned, area guardians were gathered, and golems were awakened. Weapons were enchanted, monsters summoned, and mercenary summoning tomes which had been gathering dust were suddenly cracked open and used. Everywhere one looked, the Great Tomb was busy preparing for what would be the greatest show in history.

In front of Ainz were two reports marked Top Priority. He had asked that the NPC's do this so he knew what to read first.

The first document detailed the Re-Estize Kingdom.

"The Re-Estize Kingdom is suffering mightily from the grain that was taken. Confidence in the nobles and royals is very low, and many people are leaving to head to the Empire. Famine is severe in several sectors, and the army is completely disbanded. Nobles very fractured and worried. Considered ready for phase 3 of the plan."

Ainz didn't know what phase 3 of the plan was, let alone what the plan was at all. _'Did it have something to do with the Frost Wyrm?_ ' He wondered.

The second paper documented the Slane Theocracies's army's progress.

"The Slane Theocracy is on a direct path towards E-Restize. **(I couldn't find the capital of Re-Estize anywhere, so I went with E-Restive.)** They are expected to arrive in 23 days. Attacking force is negligible in comparison to Nazarick's forces, but overwhelmingly superior to Kingdom forces. The Kingdom is currently unaware of their movements. They have 20 known members over level 30. They have 1200 Hippogryph knights. They have 1600…"

The list went on and on. Ainz sat back in his chair and sighed silently.

Suddenly, the massive door's opened, and Albedo came into the room. She kneeled on the floor in front of Ainz.

"Ainz-sama"

"Hello Albedo. Is there a problem?"

She blushed, before looking up.

"No my lord. I just wanted to hear your opinion on a few choice matters."

"Of course, Albedo. You can always come to me for help, though I think you will find that you are better suited to these things than I am." _'WHY MEEEE!'_

"Well, Ainz-sama, last night in our discussion with Demiurge, when I asked how you want me to affect the coming events, you said you wanted me to ensure our impact on the Kingdom is as great as possible. Later you told me to see to it personally when I asked if I should use subordinates to manage it. If I may dare to assume your inscrutable intentions, you wanted me to travel to the Kingdom and forge an alliance with them, so we have an excuse to defend them against the Slane Theocracy?"

"What? I mean, you have read my intentions completely. I thought that you going there personally would, hmm, have a, uh, effect on the situation, yes. Very impressive, Albedo."

She blushed, and wriggled with delight.

"I will attend to it, Ainz-sama. Secondly, I was wondering if you wished to spread the word that you are Surshana, the God of Death? I see a number of ways it could be useful in the future, which you must be considering."

"A god, you say? Well, I'm not sure that would be good. Though, on the other hand, if you say there are some benefits, it would probably be a good idea. I'm tempted to say yes, but I'm not sure it would be believable."

"Ainz-sama, you are already a god to us . How hard can it be to impress your divinity on those insects? Besides, the humans deify anything that saves their pathetic lives and has power. Additionally, you cut an almost divine figure, and there is already a cult which worships you developing in the Holy Kingdom."

"I guess you are right. If you think it's the way forward, then I agree. Also, on that note, please tell CZ to visit Neia, I believe they are friends."

"Of course, Ainz-sama. I will spread the word. To think that you would extend such care to a mere servant!"

Albedo was panting, and her face was a little red. Ainz frantically looked towards the Eight Edge Assassins who menacingly moved closer to Albedo. Ainz quickly picked up a report and quickly started reading before Albedo could jump him.

Part 2: Cardinal Meeting

The Cardinals were all in a blue and white tent with richly embroidered images of the Six Gods on it. The guards outside heard nothing of the raging argument inside, due to the magically soundproofed tent. Inside, however, words were hurled in rapid succession.

"This is folly! There is little to be gained here, and when the Sorcerer King finds out, he will be angry, and we can't afford to fight him!"

"You've said that many times already. You are so scared that you dare not move out of the country! This is our best chance to take over the Re-Estize Kingdom preemptively. If we don't it will definitely join the Sorcerer King!"

"We can't take it, our people don't want to share a border with the Demihumans!"

"Well, we can leave a few towns between us and them."

"How do you know that they will even join the Sorcerer King?"

"They have no military, low public approval which gets lower every day, and a famine! It's only a matter of the time before the Sorcerer King would be 'forced' to move in to prevent the chaos. Hell, WE are telling our citizens that WE are moving in to help the country. How easy would it be for him to claim such a thing?"

"I still think that there's no way the Sorcerer King won't notice the Death Knight! If he notices, how will he react?"

"Its a chance we have to take. If we don't act fast, we will lose our only potential ally in the area. There's no hope against him alone. And besides, it's protected by anti-scrying magic. If he hasn't noticed yet, he never will"

"There's no hope against him anyway. Besides, how do you know he hasn't noticed?"

"Because he hasn't attacked us yet! It would be a perfect excuse for the filthy undead. Don't say such things. I am certain the Gods will give us victory."

The Cardinal of Death had been watching his companions fight in silence, but now he stood up.

"I think there is entirely to high a chance he is Surshana-sama, risen again. His actions have all been for the greater good, and his Kingdom is enjoying prosperity. These are not the actions of an undead with hatred for the living. It is the actions of a lord and ruler. Besides, his power is nothing short of divine. He even uses the magic of the Gods!"

A chorus of boos echoed forth.

"Shut up. We've heard this ten times already."

"Your lucky we haven't kicked you off the council for blasphemy. That was your last chance."

"If he was Surshana-sama, why would he say he is Ainz Ooal Gown instead?"

The Cardinal of Death sat down under this withering rebuttal. His comrades picked up the argument where they had left it.

"It's too big a risk. Remind me why we are even bringing the Death Knight? It seems like something that will drastically lower the morality of our cause."

"We need to defeat the Kingdom quickly before they can even react. A blitzkrieg is more important than being sympathetic. After all, it costs quite a bit to keep this army in the field. The sooner we win, the better."

They argued long into the night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The Next Morning~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At the crack of dawn, the army picked up its banners and continued moving. They crossed hills and dells and passed over mountains and rivers. They had scouts ranging far and wide, but they never noticed the five Hanzos monitoring their position, or the Wraiths in their path watching their every move, recording troop numbers. They never noticed the Mist Stalker who listened to the Cardinals as they argued. As the army marched on, many eyes watched their progress closely.

Part 3: Albedo

Albedo dismounted her carriage gracefully. The carriage was bedecked in rubies, gold, and onyx colored wood walls. It was decorated beautifully, but not ostentatiously. In Albedo's white gloved hand was a scroll and a rolled up piece of paper.

Albedo was filled with delight as she heard the gasps of appreciation from the onlookers as they gazed upon her elegant vehicle. She was greeted, as usual, by Princess Renner.

Shortly after, Albedo and Renner arrived in the Princess's room. She sipped the tea offered by Renner, before settling in her chair. She slid a document forward to Renner.

"Renner-chan. This document is a defense pact between our nation and yours. It will need your signature."

Renner was about to sign, when a thought crossed her intelligent mind.

"Albedo-dono, this will also need the Nobles's approval as well. I don't see how they would ever agree to this."

"Never fear. My master in his infinite cunning has prepared for this. Awhile ago, he left a Death Knight with the Elvish Kingdom. He claimed it was just to defend the Elves, and I believed him then. However, it must have really been a trap- the Slane Theocracy captured and mentally dominated the Death Knight. This caused them to be emboldened to launch an attack which is currently underway at your kingdom. That will allow you to pressure the nobles to sign a defense pact or risk being annihilated by the Slane Theocracy. My master must have foreseen this as far back as the Ratmen! Ah, it truly is a joy to serve a Supreme Being!"

"To think we consider ourselves intelligent!"

Albedo glanced sharply at Renner.

"We? You are a mere human, albeit an intelligent one. Do not presume to put yourself on a level with Demiurge and myself."

Renner bowed her head.

"I'm sorry Albedo-sama. It won't happen again."

"See that it doesn't. Renner, your objective is to spread rumors that the Slane Theocracy intends to attack. I also want you to work to paint Ainz-sama as the only hope of the Re-Estize Kingdom."

"Understood. Now, Albedo-dono, is that it?"

"Yes. Renner, do you want to tell me about your puppy?"

"Always, Albedo-dono."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Meanwhile~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

King Ranpossa III lay on his bed. He knew he was dying, but he wasn't scared. He had thought a lot recently of his long-dead wife. He remembered her gentle smile, golden hair, and her intelligent mind for politics. It was she who had helped him gain the throne over his less capable elder brother.

 _'_ _Renner had inherited more than her hair.'_ He thought.

He tensed up, as stomach pains lanced through his stomach. He could feel that his end was upon him.

For weeks, he had been bedridden with debilitating cramps and stomach pains. Healing spells don't fix old age, and natural deterioration was something they never touched. Ranpossa had been planning his last moments for days now. He would bless his children, repudiate the nobles, and declare Zanac the king. For Renner, he would grant more titles and incomes.

Ranpossa steeled himself. _'It is time.'_

With an effort, he sat up. Immediately, the doctors around him rushed to hold him.

"Summon my children. It is time for me to bless them."

The doctors knew that he was dying, and that Ranpossa wanted to say his last words, so they didn't argue. Looking at him sympathetically, the Head Doctor left the room.

Minutes later, Zanac arrived. He knelt in front of his father and kissed his wrinkled hand. The two of them talked for a couple minutes about regrets and hopes. Finally, Ranpossa put a hand on his shoulder.

"In the eyes of the gods, I name you the King of the Re-Estize Kingdom!"

His son glowed briefly golden as the job class was given to him. A tear fell from Zanac's eyes, and he kissed his father's hand again, before leaving the room. The doctors and desperate well-wishers hoping for a last minute reward clapped politely.

A few minutes later, Renner entered the room. The same scene repeated itself, and he gave her titles and lands. Renner gave his frail body a hug, and kissed his cheek. Eventually, she too left the room.

Ranpossa felt a darkness creep up around him. It was comforting and peaceful. He allowed his eyes to close for the last time, and eased himself into that comfortable darkness. Slowly, he fell asleep to visions of his youth, and of his wife waiting for him. He would never awake.

"The King is dead, long live the King!"

The cry was taken up. Around the city, bells began to toll and people began to weep. many, however, blamed had blamed Ranpossa for the current hardships, and were dry-eyed. A feast was planned in honor of the King's memory, and anyone who wanted food was invited. Nobles gave lavish gifts to the royal family, and held banquets in their castles. Around the city, the Temples of the Gods were filled with worshippers, and a massive funeral procesion went down the main avenue. Ranpossa was buried in the royal graveyard next to his wife. One of his last wishes was for Gazef to be buried near him, so Gazef's coffin was uninterred and reburied below Ranpossa's grave.

The day after, Zanac was crowned as King of the Re-Estize Kingdom.

Part 4: Meeting of Nobles

The Nobles were all gathered in the Great Hall. Zanac was sitting in the throne presiding over the meeting, and Renner was sitting next to him. All of the Marquis's were present save perhaps the greatest; Marquis Raevan. He had fled to his woodland mansion to spend time with his son after apparently realizing life was too short to waste on governance, so he was not here to calm down the argument raging through the hall.

"What do you mean, the Slane Theocracy is attacking?"

"I mean they were sighted coming up the road with a massive army, and they haven't scheduled a diplomatic mission, you idiot!"

"Can we stop them?"

"I don't know! They have a Death Knight!"

"How did they get a Death Knight? We're doomed!"

The Nobles started arguing and blaming each other, each man proposing his own hopeless solutions from guerilla warfare to total surrender. Just as the argument was reaching its heights, Renner stepped in.

"Gentlemen."

The Nobles quieted down and stared at her critically.

"I have the answer to our salvation. Here!"

With dramatic flourish, she placed a document on the table.

"This is a defense pact with the Sorcerous Kingdom. I don't like it any more than you do, but they are the only ones who could possibly have enough strength to defend us now. They are our last hope. If we sign, they will defend us. What do you say?"

None of the Nobles stood forward. Renner looked at Zanac sitting on this throne pleadingly. The two of them locked eyes, and invisible communication passed between them, with Renner begging and Zanac looking skeptical. They locked eyes for a second more, and then Zanac reached over to the document and signed his name in a bold flourish. Like a floodgate being opened, the Nobles quickly added all 39 of their signatures as well. When the last Noble had signed, Zanac planted the king's seal on the document and spoke up.

"Today, we have saved our country from certain doom!"

 **Authors note: That's all for today. Next episode is gonna be the fight. Also, would anyone be interested in a fanfic about the six great gods after this one is done? Let me know. Hail Ainz-Sama!**


	9. Chapter 9 Massacre Rewrite

**Authors Note: This morning I woke up with a desire to Overlord, and I realized I wasn't happy with the ending. It was too lazy for my taste. It was suggested that I rewrite it, so I did. I will be adding more chapters. Scroll down past the dragon part to find the rewrite.**

* * *

Chapter 9 Part 1: Platinum Dragon Lord

Tsaindorcus flew low over a riverbed, causing the water to froth up underneath his belly. High in the silent sky above him, his brother floated through the clouds. They had been flying for a day or two towards E-Rantel. Currently, they were flying low over the Re-Estize Kingdom on a direct route to E-Rantel, though they had attempted to stay out of public view.

They had originally made a rash and poorly-thought out plan to simply fly in and kill Ainz. They had heard from several peasants -who were now memory wiped- that Ainz had many powerful subordinates near his power level. They had re-thought their plans at that point, and ended up deciding to simply scout out his area, perhaps try to meet up with him.

Tsain was trying to get things done quickly, because he could feel his brother losing interest. Twice, recently, he had expressed his interest in returning to the peace of his lair. Tsain knew that if he let that happen, he would lose his only and most formidable ally. He would be forced to return home and watch things spiral out of control.

Tsain flew low over a hill. The hill he had just crested was the last part of the forest that looked over a vast and nearly endless plain. Built solidly in the plan was the city of E-Pespel. Surrounding it's proud walls was an army of hundreds of thousands. Small specks of Hippogriff Knights swirled around the city buildings attacking and dipping low to dive bomb targets.

Tsain watched in shock. The colors of the Slane Theocracy were visible.'What is the Slane Theocracy attacking the Kingdom for? They are supposed to be peacekeepers!'

Tenebris landed next to him. The two dragons watched in silence as the city was bombarded. Several massive explosions shook the city, and a tower in the middle crumbled a fell with a cataclysmic crash. It appeared to be the objective, because the attacking forces stopped their sorties and stood back.

Tsain used a incantation which granted him incredibly good vision. He watched as some Slane Theocracy forces escorted a man out of the city. He appeared to be the mayor. Soon, the gates to the city opened, and the Slane Theocracy poured in. From the back of the city, a caravan of citizens was heading away from the city. They were headed towards Re-Estize, but their overloaded carriages stuffed with 'essentials' slowed down their progress to a crawl.

Tsain and Tenebris looked at each other, and attempted to make sense of the situation. They argued about a course of action before eventually reaching a conclusion.

"Tenebris, you stay here and observe the Slane Theocracy. I'll head to E-Rantel and talk to this Sorcerer King."

"That is acceptable. I'll link our minds so we can communicate well over long distances."

Tenebris pulled off one his scales, crushed it, divided the powder in half, and ate his half. He offered the other half to Tsain, who also ate it. They nodded, and then Tsain flapped his wings and continued on his way. He looked back. His brother was nearly invisible, the darkness around him seemed to have grown thicker and he looked more like a spot on the landscape then a dragon.

Tsain flew through the night. He stood out like a star at night, as the absence of other strong light meant that he was visibly sparkling and shimmering in the moonlight. Anyone could see his bright form for miles, so he stayed close to the ground. Eventually, he reached E-Rantel.

Tsain had contemplated how to do this, and he concluded the best way was to meet the Sorcerer King in the open.

The Platinum Dragon Lord landed on the road right next to the city. Several Death Knights, an Elder Lich, and a blue insect-man who was emitting a powerful frost were waiting for him.

The insect man spoke in a loud, grinding voice.

"State. Your. Business. If. It. Isn't. Peaceful. We. Will. Have. No. Choice. But. To. Terminate. You."

Behind the insect man, a large crowd of Humans and Demihumans were gathered. The sight reminded him of his Argland Council Republic.

"I am Tsaindorcus Vaison, Platinum Dragon Lord. I apologize for my unannounced arrival. I request a meeting with your lord, the Sorcerer King."

The insect's expression didn't change.

"His. Majesty. Is. Not. Available. At. The. Moment. He. Has. Gone. To. Re-Estize."

One of the Elder Liches spoke up.

"The Sorcerer King will be back soon, if you wait."

Tsaindorcus paused.

"You are aware that Re-Estize is no doubt being attacked as we speak?"

He had received confirmation of this about 30 minutes before he arrived from Tenebris.

"His. Majesty. Is. Headed. Over. That. Way. Precisely. Because. He. Knows. That."

"Does he mean to join the attack?"

"That. Is. Confidential."

"Very well. Then, I suppose I will wait."

* * *

Part 2: Narrator

They had left a quarter of their forces at E-Pespel to hold it while they finished off the capital. So far, the citizens of E-Pespel had actually stated they were glad to be under Slane Theocracy protection. They appeared to believe that everything would go well now that the Slane Theocracy had things in hand.

However, the real challenge lay directly in front of them. The massive walls of Re-Estize gleamed in the sun, and looked as formidable as ever. The Slane Theocracy wasn't worried.

The general waved a hand forward, and the attack commenced.

Magic casters shot fireballs at the walls. Giant ladders moved forward. Hippogriff Knights landed on the walls and began killing the soldiers there. The opposition was feeble at best.

Inside the tents, the Cardinals congratulated themselves on pulling it off. Victory was well within their grasp, when suddenly…

A sudden boom, and behind the Slane Theocracy a portal opened. It was held open by Shalltear and all seven of the pleiades.

The portal was purple and black. From inside a massive army of Skeletons began to pour out. They were not just skeletons, however. Each one wore magical equipment stronger than adamantite adventurer gear. Cohorts of Elder Liches, Soul Eaters, Death Knights, and hundreds of other monstrosities strode through the army. In the middle of the army, skeletons held up a platform. On top of the platform stood eight people: a succubus, a well dressed man, a blue insect, a well dressed gentlemen, two dark elves, a vampire, and the Sorcerer King. He was hovering above the dias, with arms raised and a nimbus of light swirling around him.

[Super -Tier Spell: Creation]!

Suddenly, the spell expanded wildly, before disappearing. Around the entire army, a sheer cliff face rose from the ground, completely trapping the Slane Theocracy within.

The sky turned black. Clouds formed in a slowly rotating hurricane. The legions of the dead marched forward, cold, armor gleaming, and in perfect step with each other. The army was trampling over itself in its panic, forcing hundreds into the dirt as the stampeded to get away from this army of mythical proportions. The portal was still open, and countless thousands were pouring through. A group of massive giants made of carven stone. A sphinx. A small army of Death Knights riding Soul Eaters. Mythical guardians, demons, ghosts, wraiths, and hundreds more stepped into position.

Ainz's hand rose slowly. A hundred thousand people watched it as it rose, stopped, hovered for a second, and then fell. As it fell, thousands of skeletons took a step in perfect unison. The Cardinals beseeched their men in the name of the gods to stand in fight, but they were ignored when compared to the horror of what seemed Hell marching against you. As the undead caught the army and rushed forward, the horrified silence was ended. Screams echoed through the air as the undead leapt towards the hated living gleefully. Every man shared one thought: What fools we were to believe that we could triumph against this Lord of the Dead.

A Death Knight leaped into the air and sliced off a Hippogriff's wings. 200 men were suddenly immolated when a Flame Eye released its special AOE. Liches cast fireballs, wherever men grouped up. Hundreds of cowled wraiths with jagged scythe leaped high into the air, before crashing down to behead soldiers with each strike. Undead horsemen rode in charge after charge into the enemy. Men fell down in droves as the Soul Eaters came near. Everywhere that could be seen, men ran as they were mercilessly hunted down by organized undead. Compared to the warmth and emotion of the terrified men, the undead were as cold as ice, but their hearts burned with hatred of life.

And in the center of this tornado of death and destruction, the eye of the hurricane sat. He looked over his forces with blazing red eyes, and he seemed pleased at the destruction he wrought. He snapped his fingers, and a thousand men died. Seconds later they stood up again, but with eyes glowing red. Somewhere deep in the chaos, a Death Knight ridiculously garbed in blue and white was killed without spectacle. The last, slim hope of the Slane Theocracy died with it.

The last of the once proud army was in shreds, and rounded up in one corner. The undead readied their lances and sword for the last charge

"Stop! O Surshana-sama, God of Death, please show mercy! We surrender!"

The Cardinal of Death was on his knees. He was the last living cardinal, as the others had been swept up in the chaos. He continued.

"I didn't know it was you! I don't know how I could have missed your divine radiance, but I did. Please forgive your servant! The sight of your holy army marching forth has reopened my eyes."

The Sorcerer King said nothing for a moment or two. The undead continued running toward the kneeling cardinal. Then the God of Death snapped his fingers. Immediately , every undead stood as perfectly still as statues. The Sorcerer King stepped forward off the dias and floated over to the prostate cardinal.

He put a hand on the Cardinal's shoulder, and spoke like one would to a friend.

"Cardinal. I am sorry to tell you something that will shake you badly, but I must"

His rose rose and echoed over the walls.

"I was asked by a subordinate to pretend to be Surshana. But I am not! I am Ainz Ooal Gown! Once, there was no one who did not know this name. In the future, I will achieve that result again. I come before you with an ultimatum, and an offer. Any man who will bow down before me shall live. Any man that will continue to worship long dead gods will be killed. Men of the Slane Theocracy, make your choice."

The Cardinal scrambled back in horror from the towering undead king in front of him. He had held onto this slim hope that Surshana had risen and come back to him for so long, that to see it suddenly crushed brought him to his knees with despair. He had seen the face of his God when he had looked at Ainz ever since the first word of his existence. Now that bony face seemed to change into a far more sinister aspect.

The Cardinal stood up on shaking legs.

"I once thought you were my god. But now that I know you aren't, I will never bow before you!"

The Cardinal summoned the last of his strength and cast his last bit of mana at Ainz.

[Heavy Recover]

There was no effect at all, but the Cardinal had known that would happen. He charged at Ainz, pulling out a dagger enchanted to be effective against the undead. Before he could get a hit off, Ainz's bony hand shot out and covered his face.

[Create Undead: Skeleton]

The Cardinal went slack for a second, before his skin sloughed off his body like water. Ainz released the newly formed Skeleton, which marched into the ranks of the undead, and soon disappeared in their countless number.

"A brave effort, but doomed to failure. Slane Theocracy! It is within my power to kill you easily. However, as the citizens of E-Rantel can attest, I am generous to those who serve me. Bow down and swear allegiance and I will let you live."

There was no answer. Not a single man moved, except one. He drew a bow with an arrow shaped to deal bludgeoning damage, and released. The arrow flew straight and true at Ainz, and landed squarely in his eye socket. It fell out.

"You have made your choice."

Ainz raised his hands. The countless thousands of undead sprinted toward the last bastion of humanity. The humans burned with holy light and for a while, their splendor held off the skeletons. But when the high level undead arrived, it was all over.

A minute passed. Then another. And in the third, the last man fell, and rose again as a skeleton. Ainz looked over the battlefield. Mounds of flesh lay everywhere, but he felt nothing. Suzuki Satoru looked at the bodies of men that he would have respected and admired had he been human, and felt only muted joy that he was closer to eventual victory.

Turning, he floated back onto his dias.

"Shalltear, Pleiades, open the gate."

Straining mightily, the eight of them opened another rent in spacetime. It was only open for a couple minutes, but the undead streamed through at a speedy rate. Still, they only barely managed to get the powerful summons through before Shalltear ran out of mana. Without her assistance, the other maids were unable to bear the burden, and the rift snapped closed.

Almost 100,000 skeletons stood still on the plains. Then, the felt an order from the master.

"Return home."

As one, they angled their bony visages and marched towards E-Rantel.

The people of Re-Estize slumped against the battlements. Despite Renner's best efforts, not one of them had hoped for the inevitable. As the fact that the mightiest of human nations had lost its largest army in centuries within thirty minutes sunk in, many started to cry. It truly seemed like a hopeless future.

* * *

Tenebris stood wreathed in shadow.

His ancient mind went back to the legends of Surshana's Damned Militia which he had used to smash the forces of the Beastman king. _It was not half so large as this._ He thought. _I have never seen something so terrifying or deadly._

Tenebris had a new mission. Awaken _her._ The only one of the Evil Deities still remaining in the world. _Perhaps she has enough power to stop this Ainz Ooal Gown._


	10. Chapter 10

**AN I rewrote the ending of Chapter 9, if you want to make sense of this upcoming arc, you need to read it, as its totally different.**

Chapter 10 Part 1: Platinum Dragon Lord.

It had been thirty minutes, and he was still struggling to comprehend what he had seen. A giant purple and black hole in the fabric of spacetime had opened up, and gleaming legions of undead had marched through in perfect step. Moving slowly through the hordes, strange and potent undead moved, wreathed in smoke and shadow, while legions of Death Knights on Soul Eaters had galloped through first. At the head of this mythical army, a dias floated. Sitting on a massive throne with regal elegance was an undead king shining with unholy light. His eyes had been crimson flames, and on either side of him, powerful subordinates waited for the chance to prove themselves.

Dragons do not scare easily, but Tsaindorcus had felt the twinge of that well remembered emotion awaken deep in his stomach. He had instinctively risen to his feet and assumed a fighting position, his throat glowing with suppressed fire, The undead had only spared him a glance before proceeding into the city.

To Tsain's shock, the people in the city had cheered at his return, and fireworks had gone off. Tsain didn't know if the people didn't care that their king had just gone out and killed thousands of humans, or if they didn't; know. Either way, they were glad to see Ainz returning. Tsain shook his horned head in a weary gesture. He settled down again, and closed his eyes.

Tsaindorcus was awoken by prodding by a stick on the tip off his nose. He immediately opened his eyes and shot up to his full height. Tsaindorcus prided himself on his detection abilities, and he had thought the only living being capable of surprising him was Rigrit. He immediately knew whatever he was facing, was powerful.

He looked down at his feet. Standing there were two dark elves and the same Insectoid from before. The dark elf with the whip yelled up at him.

"Tsaindorcus Vaison, Ainz-sama is ready for your audience."

Tsaindorcus wondered at the familiar use of 'Ainz-sama,' but said nothing. He looked at the dark elf for a second, and then nodded.

"Will you lead me to him?"

"Ainz-sama has asked me to that yet. Be warned, our Lord is a god to us, and any disrespect to him is a grave insult. He sent me to ensure that you are properly subservient."

Suddenly, Tsaindorcus felt a stabbing pain all through his body. However, he was a Dragon Lord, not some sniveling lesser animal to be cowed by a dark elf. He stood tall in the face of the pressure. Outrage gathered in his stomach at the insult, and his mind went red as his draconic pride over took his anger.

He lowered his face down right in front of the dark elf boy, who had a satisfied smile on his face.

"Ghahhhh! How dare you! I am no mindless beast to be cowed by a little killing intent! I will grind you into dust!"

He opened his mouth, and white light gathered there. The smile melted off of the dark elf boy's face, and he backed up in the face of such rage. Just before Tsaindorcus was about to release his breath, a loud grinding voice spoke up.

"Our. Apologies. Platinum. Dragon Lord. Aura. Is. A. Bit. Hasty. In. Her. Devotion. She. Will. Be. Reprimanded. But. We. Will. Be. Forced. To. Terminate. You. If. You. Continue. As. There. Are. Three. Of. Us."

Tsaindorcus calmed down enough to let reason re-enter his mind. He immediately realized that the insectoid was correct, he would probably lose if he continued antagonizing them. Struggling to swallow his pride, he responded.

"My apologies for showing an unsightly side of myself. Sometimes I lose control when I am angry."

"It. Is. Alright. As. Aura. Provoked. You."

The insectoid turned and somehow managed to convey extreme disapproval when he looked at the dark dlf boy.

"You. Were. Instructed. To. ASK. Him. To. Be. Respectful. You. Have. Trod. On. Ainz-sama's. Name."

The boy bowed his head and muttered a resentful apology.

Seconds later, the great gate opened and Tsaindorcus stepped through.

Inside, the city was bustling with life and energy. Children played on the ground, with some of the more daring ones scampering up to the nearby Death Knights and giving them a poke. Adults wandered around the market stalls, with overflowing bags of rich food, and purses heavy with gold in their hands. A troop of dwarfs pushed their way through the crowd, and a single Treant lurched through the streets with children of all races hanging in its boughs. A Frost Dragon dipped low overhead, pulling a giant train of magically floating baggage which flew behind it with a whoosh.

The people may have been used to Frost Dragons, but a Platinum Dragon Lord is a whole different animal. Tsaindorcus attracted stares, and a path was cleared for him without issue, but, for the most part, the humans didn't seem scared of him.

Tsaindorcus assumed his frightening presence was causing the crowds to part, but he soon realized the bows and respectful movements were directed towards the insectoid and the dark elf twins.

Within ten minutes, Tsaindorcus approached a giant marble building. It was tastefully, but not extravagantly decorated. The flag of the Sorcerous Kingdom fluttered around the building, and a statue of Ainz Ooal Gown lounged on a golden throne in front. Directly next to it, was a massive stone loop. The insectoid and the dark elves stopped in front of it, and the insectoid raised one of its armored forearms to the side of its head.

"Shalltear. Open. The. Main. Gate."

A sweet voice of a child was audible to Tsaindorcus's sensitive hearing.

"Of course, Cocytus."

Seconds later, one of those purple and black portals appeared inside the stone loop. The insectoid, Cocytus gestured for Tsain to step through.

After a moment of hesitation, he did so.

He came out in front of two doors stretching a hundred meters up in front of him. One of the doors was white, and on it was a female human who radiated an air of holiness. On the other door was enameled a demon which radiated hatred and fear. The sculptures were so realistic that Tsain was worried they would come to life and attack him.

Without a noise, the massive doors slowly slipped open. They revealed a chamber of such exquisite beauty that Tsain immediately felt his draconic heart stir with interest. *To live in such a place…* Everything in the whole room was beautiful, holy, and intimidating. Banners loomed on the walls, and glowing lamps hung from the ceiling. The whole effect of the hall seemed to funnel the eye towards the massive throne at the end of the room. Sitting on the room with the bearing of a king was Ainz Ooal Gown. Flanking him was a human butler, and a succubus. Succubi were rare, but Tsaindrcus had seen enough to immediately recognize one.

Cocytus strode forward, until he stood in front of the throne.

"Ainz-sama. I. Bring. You. The. Platinum. Dragon. Lord."

Ainz nodded.

"Thank you, Cocytus. You have done well."

Cocytus nodded his head, and rose to stand next to the butler. The dark elf twins discreetly left the room after bowing in front of Ainz.

Tsain lowered his head for a beat, before raising it. He was both insulted and impressed by Ainz allowing himself to be in a room with himself relatively unguarded. *He is already casting a message- He's showing who's boss.* Tsain had heard many things about the overwhelming intellect of the Sorcerer King, and knew he would have to play his cards wisely if he wanted information.

"Your Majesty, I am Tsaindorcus Vaison, last child of the Dragon Emperor, Councilor of the Argland Council Republic, Last Flame, Shining Star of Hora-Imroth, and Platinum Dragon Lord."

"Greetings, Platinum Dragon Lord. I am Ainz Ooal Gown, the Sorcerer King of E-Rantel. Why have you graced my humble abode today?"

"I would hardly call such a magnificent domicile humble, my lord. I must put this bluntly- I am one of the rulers of a nearby nation and I came to request a non-aggression pact. I think it would be mutually beneficial."

"May I ask why you have come alone? Surely such a magnificent dragon as yourself has an extensive retinue."

Tsaindorcus thought fast. *He's got me! I can't tell him about Tenebris. What a brilliant ploy, there's no way I can get out of this without exposing information I need to keep hidden. Or can I?*

"I can fly, and most of retinue cannot. I am afraid that I wanted to make my way over here as fast as I could, and I outstripped my retainers."

Tsain smiled internally. *Skillful response by me, if I do say so myself.* However the Sorcerer King's next words horrified him.

"Tsaindorcus-dono, I would love to entertain your retainers when they do arrive. It is courteous, is it not? I would be most pleased if you would enjoy our hospitality until they arrive. We have a feast day coming up, and I'm sure they would certainly enjoy it."

*NANI?! Truly the reports of his verbal of his verbal prowess are not exaggerated! How fearsome he is, it's almost like he is predicting what I'm saying. Surely he couldn't respond that quickly otherwise.* Tsaindorcus looked down at the throne. The Sorcerer King seemed to be smiling beatifically up at him.

"Well, uh, I am sure that they would enjoy that. Gown-dono, if I may ask, what are these feast days?"

Ainz seemed to grow animated. He leaned forward and gestured enthusiastically as he spoke.

"The feast days are a relic of my wo- of the ancient past. I use them as something for the people to look forward to, to boost happiness. In the future I hope to see it spread, as well as many of my other ideas.:

*He nearly slipped and said 'my world' there. Was it intentional? No matter, I'll think about it later, what's important now is figuring out his other ideas.*

"Gown-dono, you speak of the future in a way that interests me. I am curious, what are your plans for the upcoming years?"

"Well, in short, I intend to improve life across the world. Let the whole world know of my deeds, and spread word of it to the ends of earth. I can assure you, I have no malevolent desires for my people, even though I am undead. I'm afraid, telling you more than that would be a breach of security."

Tsaindorcus frowned internally. *He speaks so charismatically that I almost believe him. Is it possible that he is benevolent?*

"Gown-dono, let me be frank here. Our world is afflicted by a curiosity that manifests in one way- every two hundred years or so, a group of entities join this world. I assume you are a player?"

Suddenly, Ainz brightened a tremendous amount. He suddenly seemed infused with optimism.

"Groups, you say? Has it always been more than one?"

"Yes. As far as I know, it has always been at least five. But, may I repeat myself- You are a player, are you not?"

"Yes, yes, I am a player. How many times have you witnessed this event occur?"

"Well, I've been alive long enough to see it four times. The Six Great Gods, the Eight Greed Kings, The Evil Deities, and you."

Ainz seemed to be muttering to himself. Tsaindorcus heard the phrase 'They might be here.' and 'there's hope.' Suddenly, a couple things clicked in Tsain's ancient and intelligent mind. Ainz was a player who had been sent here alone, and for all his power and intellect, he missed his old friends. He must be attempting to spread his name so he can find them. Surshana had explained what NPC's were to Tsain, so the powerful subordinates must be, in fact, NPC's. Ainz appeared far more sympathetic in Tsain's eyes, and he felt a sense of connection with him.

"Gown-dono, I too, have felt the loss of my friends. Many were killed during the wars with the Eight Greed Kings. Thus, I have a proposition. If you swear to never attack the Argland Council State, I will help you find them, if they do exist in this world."

Ainz stared at Tsain for a second. All of his majesty and grandeur fell away, and for a second he looked vulnerable. Then he gathered himself, and regained the aura of the fearsome undead king.

"I accept your proposal."

Tsain nodded, and mentioned that he had better head home, as Ainz seemed to have forgotten about his previous offer.

Ainz nodded, and held a hand to the side of his head. Seconds later, a portal opened, and Tsain stepped through, into the streets of E-Rantel. *I really must learn about this portal spell. It seems to be keyed by holding a hand to your head. Though, what was that little girls voice? I'll talk to Tenebris about it.* Tsain spread glittering wings, and took to the air.

On the long flight home, he contemplated the surprisingly relatable Sorcerer King. Tsain intended to hold up his side of the bargain, and he no longer regarded Ainz as so much of a threat. Indeed, he seemed almost a boon to the world.

Part 2: Ainz

Ainz sat on the throne, his mind circling around one important hope: He might not be alone! As he was about to whirl back to this for the seventh time, he was interrupted by a dulcet voice.

"Ainz-sama, how marvelous! Only you could have made the Dragon Lord sympathetic to you! No one but your exalted self could have acted so convincing."

"Hmm? Ah yes, Albedo. Well, I wasn't exactly acting."

"Yes, well they do say the best lies are flavored with a bit of truth."

Ainz was about to insist that he hadn't lied, but the adoring look on Albedo's face convinced him otherwise. He adopted a sage air, and nodded his head wisely. He noticed the look on Sebas's face.

"What is it, Sebas?"

"My lord, forgive me. I was just thinking how wonderful it would be if Touch Me-sama was in this world."

"How dare you wish for another Supreme Being when we have Ainz-sama! You should be ashamed of such an insult!"

"Forgive me, I meant no insult."

"Albedo. I appreciate your defense, but it is unnecessary. I too think it might be wonderful to see Touch Me-san again. Wouldn't you like to meet Tabula Smaragdina?"

"Ainz-sama, as much as I would love to meet my creator, you are the only Supreme Being I need."

She sent him a beguiling look. Ainz quickly changed the subject.

"Speaking of that, I would like to call all the guardians together for a gift, as a celebration of our victory against the Slane Theocracy."

"Of course, Ainz-sama. I will gather the guardians. To think you would think of your servants in the midst of your victory."

Blushing, she left the room. Sebas and Cocytus stayed behind, but were silent enough to leave Ainz in his thought. He sat there fondly remembering his guild, and idly wondering, who, if any, would be in the New World.

He was awoken from his reverie by the sound of the door shutting. The Level 100 Npc's walked in, and kneeled in front of Ainz.

"Ainz-sama!"

"Please, raise your heads. I have called you here to give you a reward. This idea came to me yesterday when I was doing paperwork. I thought about what gift would best suit you all, and I have decided to tell you each stories about your creator's."

Even Albedo raised her head in interest.

"Who would like to hear their creator's story first?"

Every hand raised instantly. For the NPC's, every kernel of information learned was treasured and placed close to their heart. Ainz eventually went with Demiurge.

"Demiurge, for your hard work, I will tell you about Ulbert-san first. What do you want to hear?"

"I would love to hear anything about him at all. I'm interested in his personality."

Ainz frowned as he tried to discuss Ulbert's love for roleplaying without bringing up the real world.

"Ulbert was the most sadistic, and perhaps, evil of all of us. He enjoyed devious tactics, and utter destruction of all hope. Ulbert would definitely approve of Jaldabaoth, and when he created you, he even programmed that to be the name of your second form. He designed you to match many aspects of his personality, and as I may have mentioned, you and Sebas are often opposed due to his dislike of Touch Me."

Demiurge shivered as he heard a part of who he was explained. Ainz continued in the total silence of the NPC's rapt attention.

"Ulbert won his title World Disaster by killing the previous owner. He set an elaborate trap, and took it from his helpless victim while laughing. His trump card, [Grand Catastrophe] was instrumental in defending Nazarick from the Holy Alliance. Ulbert was the master of overwhelming dps in a short period of time. I'm afraid, for time reasons, that's all I can tell you."

Demiurge nodded.

"Of course. I would hate to cause someone else to be deprived of the joy I just felt because of my selfishness. I can't thank you enough for this gift. Truly, none but The Supreme One could have devised such a perfect reward."

"No problem. Albedo, you are next for your hard work in administering Nazarick."

Ainz talked about his beloved friends for most of the night. He discussed how Tabula Smaragdina had a love for gap moe, and his mastery of the dark magic. He told stories of Touch Me's pure justice, and of Takemikazuchi sword skills, pure warrior spirit, and desire to one day defeat Touch Me. He told Sebas that Touch Me's full name was Touch Me If You Can, and that few managed too. He spoke to Aura and Mare of Bukubukuchagama's beautiful voice and pure love and good nature. He explained (With difficulty) her reasons behind making Aura and Mare the way she did. He told Shalltear about Peroroncino's bow prowess, and the finer details of his personality. He told Pandora's Actor about his early days and Touch Me saving him, his eventual rise to grandmaster, and his love for Yggdrasil, and about how he created Pandora's Actor with love.

He went back to the topic of his friends again and again. Once he finished the stories of their creators, he continued talking about his Guild. He talked about the name change, about getting Nazarick, their efforts to be on top. He talked about the World Champion tournament, the invasion of the Holy Alliance, and the countless bosses they killed. He told them about Punitto Moe's brilliance, and how it put his own to shame. In the wee hours of the morning, he touched upon his friends slowly leaving, with him staying behind. He knew they wouldn't take the leaving well, but he was too involved to stop. He ended up discussing the whole proud history of his guild, and was reliving some glory moments when he realized it was morning.

"I'm so sorry to have wasted your time like this. I got carried away, I apologize."

The NPC's shook their heads furiously. They had listened with rapt attention throughout the night, and had envisioned every event as Ainz described it. Ainz's love and perfect memory turned him into a master storyteller, and he had held the NPC's in rapture all night.

Demiurge stood up slowly.

"Ainz-sama, I don't know how you can apologize. I can never thank you enough for this… and now I realize how much kinder you are for staying behind. I will forever be grateful, for that, and the new knowledge of my creator."

The other NPC's made noises of vehement agreement. Ainz looked up at them, and stood up. He suddenly noticed that the entire hall was full of various high level NPC's who had all snuck into the room to listen to the Supreme One drop valued treasures into their eager hands.

"Well it's morning. Rest assured, when next we score a great victory, I will talk again."

Every NPC in the room raised a cheer. They slowly walked out, hearts full to bursting with happiness as they ran over what they had heard in their minds again and again. They all felt grateful to the last of the Supreme Ones for staying behind when all others left.

 **Hope you guys liked the ending.**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 Part 1: Demiurge

Demiurge leaned forward in an elegant and practiced movement that caused no creases to spread upon the pinstriped suit he was wearing. He was seated at an elegant table deep inside the capital of the Holy Kingdom, Godsfall. It was named thus because it was rumored to be where the Six Gods entered the world. The ancient founders of the Holy Kingdom had decided to build there country there.

Seated in front of him was the Holy King, Caspond. He was kneeling in front of Demiurge, who was in his frog form for security reasons. Demiurge steepled his fingers on the rich wood, and spoke to his subordinate.

"How much progress have we had? Is the discontent at acceptable levels, but is the country still doing well?"

"Yes, Demiurge-sama. I have faithfully followed the plan that you gave me, and all has gone as you foreseen. However, the religion worshipping Ainz has spread more than anticipated in the northern half, though the southern half still worships the Six Gods exclusively."

Demiurge smiled, his frog-like face contorting in a strange way that managed to convey a smile without resembling one.

"That is good to hear. I should have anticipated a religion designed and executed by Ainz would spread quickly. Have any Nobles been seen worshipping him?"

"I am afraid not, Demiurge-sama. However, several high-ranking Paladins, and thousands of commoners are there."

"Very well. We could have hoped for some Nobles, but it is not a problem. Here is the final stages of your plan. We have replaced several southern Nobles with Doppelgängers, and they will act in a manner that will provoke the coming events. Your job is to appear at one of the sessions of Neia Baraja advocating for Ainz, and worship him. Also, after that I want you to address the people from the palace and describe how the southerners are preventing you from accepting aid in the form of grain from the Sorcerous Kingdom. Once that is done, the Doppel-Nobles will cry for your removal on grounds of treason and blasphemy. That will plunge the country into civil war. You will be alerted when the time come as to what you need to do."

Doppel-Caspond had been writing this all down as Demiurge spoke. When he was done, he bowed, and rose to his feet.

"Thank you, Demiurge-sama. Will there be anything else?"

"That's all for today."

Demiurge rose to his feet, dusted off his suit, and cast a [Message] spell. Seconds later, a portal opened, and he stepped through it without another word. It closed with a sizzling snap, leaving Doppel-Caspond alone in the office. He took out the piece of paper, and committed it to memory, before incinerating it with [Holy Flame] that he gained access to from Caspond's form.

Demiurge arrived on the Seventh Floor in the Blazing Temple. He strode into the building, which was constructed of 3 main pillars, which branched into 40 different pillars twisting around each other. They joined together into one pillar at the top. Lava flowed down the pillars in molds in the rock forming exaggerated images of each of the 41. The pillar on top was dedicated to Momonga. The Temple was the focal point of a vast and desolate wasteland lit by lava, and a sort of foggy red lighting emanating from red tinted [Continual Light]s scattered around

He habitually made a short bow towards Ulbert's pillar, before standing in the middle of the Temple. Immediately, a screen similar to that of the one in the Throne Room opened up, detailing all of the floors and various other pieces of information useful to Demiurge in his role as Defensive Commander.

He stared at the array of screens for a second. No matter how many times he used it, he never ceased to marvel over the technologies of the Supreme Beings. Demiurge waved his gloved hand at a specific image of one of his experiments. Upon a moment's consideration, Demiurge twisted the Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown, and disappeared.

 _I'll visit in person_

Demiurge appeared directly in front of a large door sunken into the side of a hill, with several high level demons standing guard at the entrance. Upon seeing their master, they opened the doors, their oddly shaped and warped backs straining under the weight. The doors swung open, revealing a black darkness. To Demiurge, however, it was as bright as day due to his Darkvision. He strode through with no hesitation, where he was greeted by two more Demons, who fell behind him and followed him.

The area he had entered was known as The Pit. In it were the most disturbing of Demiurges experiments. On all sides of him, groans and cries rang out. Demiurge ignored the cries for mercy, death, or freedom without difficulty, completely shutting them out of his mind. In front of him on a wall, was a sign.

'High Interest **-** '

The sign was completely invisible to all but those who possessed Darkvision. Indeed, the entire area was pitch-black, to add to the despair of the occupants and to make escape impossible. Demiurge turned smartly as he reached the side tunnel, and he marched down it with measured strides. Eventually he reached his destination.

"Remedios- Test 1."

He was about to turn the doorknob, when an unmistakable voice echoed in his mind.

"Demiurge. I was wondering if you could come visit my office, I would like to talk about the Holy Kingdom with you, and review your plans."

Demiurge unconsciously straightened his already perfect posture and adjusted his suit. A grin covered his evil face.

"Of course, Ainz-sama. It would be my honor. Just allow me to finish something up here, I won't keep you waiting."

He looked at the Demon.

"Make sure she is sedated, and try to extract any information that her Doppelganger can use. Secure her bonds, but do not conduct any additional breeding experiments today."

The Demon nodded its horned head, and started to open the door, as Demiurge twisted the ring on his finger. The scenery warped, blurred, and then reset to an oaken door engraved with an image of Ainz-sama. It was in his office in E-Rantel. Demiurge frowned as he looked around. _Hardly fit for a Supreme Being. Perhaps it has some function I do not yet realize._ He briefly felt a little disappointed in the designers of the room, before remembering why he was here. His demonic heart burned a fraction brighter.

Leaning forward, he rapped three times on the door in quick succesion. The door was opened from within by the maid, giving Demiurge a view of the sacred form of his master.

Ainz sat on an ornate chair made of wood, and as Demiurge entered, red flames in an ebony skull raised towards him. It felt like Ainz was looking through every aspect of his being, so piercing was that gaze. Demiurge bowed before Ainz so his body made a perfect 90 degree angle. After a beat, his master's voice echoed through the chamber, somber tones overlaid by the more melodious ones, to create the voice of a king.

"Please, Demiurge, rise. I prefer to speak face to face with you."

"Thank you, Ainz-sama. As if one such as me could ever stand face to face with you."

"Demiurge, you already stand on a level with me."

Demiurge felt blood rising at the compliment, and quickly composed his features.

"May I ask why you have called me here, Ainz-sama?"

"Ah, yes. I heard you traveled to the Roble Holy Kingdom, and I was interested in your report."

Demiurge thought for a second as he attempted to read deeper into the meaning of those words, before answering.

"I went there to inform Doppel-Caspond of our plan. Once I was certain he understood, I left. The Roble Holy Kingdom is starving, and the people are unhappy. Approximately half of the northerners worship you, due to the efforts of your squire, Neia Baraja. Soon, we will execute phase three, as I believe all is ready."

"Umu.. phase 3, yes. I was wondering, could you send CZ to Neia? I hear that they are friends. Secondly, if they are starving, I want you to send some food. We have grain, don't we?"

Demiurge thought hard again. _He must have some deeper purpose with CZ, but I'll think upon it later. As for the grain, he must have seen my attempt to add impetus to the civil war by claiming the Sorcerous Kingdom was trying to spend grain, but being stopped by the southern Nobles. We didn't actually have any grain, so I would have to cover up the lie. Now, I won't have to._

"Truly, you are a generous master! To think you would work out my plan and help me execute it better!"

Ainz started for a second, and then those eyes peered into Demiurge again. Demiurge knew from many attempts that it was impossible for him to read Ainz's thoughts, so he simply stood still. Eventually, the eyes looked away, as if satisfied.

"It is the master's duty to care for his employees, as a father cares for his children."

Demiurge smiled graciously.

"Ainz-sama, please forgive me, but I heard from the other guardians a desire to hear more of our creators when we achieve our objectives in the Holy Kingdom. Truth be told, I am interested as well."

Ainz's aspect shifted from unreadable, to open and happy. Demiurge knew he was allowing himself to be read for Demiurge's benefit.

"Of course, Demiurge. I love to talk about my comrades. Is that it?"

"One final thing. I was wondering if you might want to take a look at my Bipedal Sheep, and other experiments."

"I am a little busy, at the moment. However, I will make time in the future. Does that work for you?

"Yes, my lord. I eagerly await your input."

Part 2: Neia Baraja

Neia had been alerted by King Caspond, who she worked closely with to reconstruct the north, that a messenger from the Sorcerer King was coming. He had only said 'It's your friend,' and winked in that trustworthy way of his.

Neia had known there was only one person it could be, and she had been eagerly awaiting the arrival through the day. Most days, Neia worked non-stop, spreading the message to all who would listen, and helping the devoted train, and build. She had given her religion a name: Ainzism, and called the devotees Ainzists. She had disliked the name of Ainzism, as it seemed a bit plain, but she had eventually kept it since the religion was focused on the philosophy of Ainz. All knowledge of his philosophy was gathered through extensive analysis of everything he had ever said, and eventually wascondensed into three main points.

There is only justice where there is strength

There is only justice where there is action

Justice for the community matters more than justice for everyone.

His religion was easy to understand, convincing, and backed up by a real god who currently strode the world. Understandably, the commoners had flocked to it's banners.

Neia waited on the walls overlooking the main road. She had taken a break to wait for her to arrive. Suddenly, a purple and black portal opened next to her. Before she could react, a small silhouette stepped through, with a weapon slung on her back.

Neia quickly leaped to her feet and gave the demon a hug.

"Shizu-senpai!"

Neia heard a monotone voice answer, though it seemed happy.

"Neia-chan. You are still cute. Here is a sticker."

Neia felt a sticker be placed on her forehead, and then here head was patted by Shizu three times.

"I have been sent by Ainz-sama to look out for you. He remembers our friendship, and said I deserved a break. Also, he thought I might help you in the struggles to come."

"Struggles? What struggles? Everything is going fine."

"Ainz-sama was vague, but he said I would be helpful."

Neia nodded. The two turned and walked back into the city, with Neia eagerly pointing out the various new structures that had been built. About one in two people nodded their heads to Neia and Shizu as they walked through, and when they entered a shop, some of the shopkeeper's would give them free food.

Neia munched on a piece of Lanca Cattle on a stick, though Shizu did not, as she claimed that demon maid's could not eat. They chatted like old friends, but inevitably, the topic turned to Ainz. Neia wanted to hear everything about him, and Shizu was happy to comply.

They sat on a park bench, and Shizu started talking about when Ainz had gathered everyone to tell them about the other 40 Supreme Beings. As Shizu talked, some people gathered around to listen. They turned their ears as the walked by, or stood and waited. Too soon, however, Shizu's efficient speech had covered the topic, and she stood up.

Neia was disappointed, as were the eavesdroppers but Shizu was done speaking. The Demon Maid stood up and walked towards the housing district. They wandered around, filling each other in on the many things that had passed, though mainly Neia enthusiastically declared various achievements.

The next morning, Neia awoke to find Shizu knitting a scarf at her bedside. The demon's fingers moved incredibly quickly, and Neia could actually see the scarf growing. The scarf was green and black and had strange patterns on it which confused her eyes.

Neia leaped out of bed, still in armor. She went into the bathroom, changed, and washed up. When she came out, a fully knitted scarf was laying on the bed. Neia put it on in the same way that Shizu did, and slipped on her visor. She opened the door to her humble abode and stepped out.

Shizu was outside, waiting. Neia walked towards her, and when Shizu fell in line next to her, Neia headed towards her first duty of the day: Priesthood. Unbeknownst to her, Neia was an Evangelist, and she had actually leveled up three times in that class, making her, perhaps the most persuasive speaker in the New World. Thousands would come to hear her talk, and she spoke in the center of the city so everyone could come if they wished.

Neia walked with Shizu for about twenty minutes before her pulpit came into view. About two hundred people were already waiting. Neia knew that the number would rise very quickly at about 11:00, fifteen minutes before she started speaking. Most people had other morning duties, so Neia chose a time that was convenient. True to her predictions, the crowd grew very quickly, and by 11:15, four thousand people were gathered in the square, on the roofs of nearby buildings, and down the street. Neia had been given a special item by Caspond which made her voice echo loud enough for everyone to hear. The Priests of the Six Gods had been angered, but King Caspond had ignored them.

Suddenly, Neia gasped. Standing in the front row, surrounded by guards, was the Holy King. He looked up at her silently, and suddenly Neia knew he was here to worship Ainz and here His priest speak. She was filled with euphoria, and smiled, before raising her arms.

"Citizens of the Holy Kingdom, we have TWO special guests today. The first is none other than the Holy King Caspond! Your Majesty, I am very glad you have graced us with your presence."

The crowd whopped and cheered. Even though the times were bad, Caspond was respected for leading intelligently, and everyone knew he did everything that could be done. His presence made everyone in the crowd feel confident and proud of their religion.

"The second guest is a valued subordinate of none other than the Sorcerer King! Ainz-sama has sent the Demon Maid Shizu to us today!"

She gestured, and Shizu stepped forward. The crowd roared and cheered. Shizu waved, and threw a single sticker into the crowd. Those nearby made a lunge toward it, and eventually, a hulking man rose from the tangle, proudly holding it aloft. People whistled and laughed. Shizu sat back down, and let Neia talk. Neia told the people of the Sorcerer King's might, his genius, his justice, and his strength. She whipped them into a frenzy, and by the time she was done, everyone was more secure in their faith then they have ever been. An hour had passed, and Neia started to wind up. She thanked the crowd for coming, and bowed.

As she lowered her head, and arrow thunked where it had been a second ago. Immediately, Shizu knocked Neia over, and stood in front of her. A hail of arrows followed, though they bounced of off Shizu's skin without causing damage. There was a pause, and suddenly, six men and women ran toward Neia holding knives.

None of them made it. Shizu's weapon raised, and started booming and flashing. There were six booms, and then all six people fell over. Each of them had a hole drilled neatly between their eyes.

The crowd paused in shock, and then started yelling in anger and surprise. Meanwhile, Neia flipped over the dead leader. He had no identifying objects, but tattooed on his stomach was the emblem of the Six Gods. It had been partially removed, but anyone who knew what they were looking for, would have noticed it.

Neia stood up, and her voice echoed loudly.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention?"

The crowd quieted, and turned towards her.

"This was the work of the Priests of the Six Gods!"

The crowd made a unified, loud, angry noise. Caspond stood up, and managed to draw the crowds attention.

"I will ensure that the culprit is brought out and punished accordingly. Do not fear, my citizens. I will do my duty as the Holy King!"

The crowd roared its approval, but a there was nothing more to be seen, they headed home. Neia walked over to the archery range, and practiced for a while. Shizu made a short demonstration of her accuracy with her strange weapon: She was able to shoot three arrows out of the air, to the admiration and interest of all watching. Under Neia's tutelage, the archers gathered there were among the greatest in the realm. They weren't as good as Neia's father had been, but their Company of Justice was quite deadly.

Suddenly, Neia had a thought.

"Shizu-senpai, do you think that Ainz-sama foresaw the assassination attempt and sent you to guard me?"

"I do not know. Ainz-sama is very wise, and he predicts many things. It could be luck, or he could have predicted it. I couldn't say."

Neia nodded. Some part of her had been hoping for an answer that affirmed her opinion, so she could revel in the Sorcerer King's greatness, but she was satisfied with Shizu's honest opinion.

The rest of the day passed quickly as she trained and managed many aspects of Ainzism, and she went to bed tired but satisfied. Neia was awoken at nearly noon by panicked shouts from a crowd outside her door. When she opened it, they looked at her and Shizu anxiously.

"The southerners have declared King Caspond-sama a traitor! What do we do, Neia-dono?"

 **A/N Ill take suggestions on what to do with remedios**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12 Part 1: Pandora's Actor

Deep in the bowels of Nazarick, there was a tunnel. This tunnel wound down a long passage, covered in traps whose existnce, let alone their disarm words, were known only by Shizu Delta. At the end of that tunnel was a room. Inside this room, was a massive collection of treasures, stretching for thousands of feet in every direction. A veritable mountain of gold rose 800 feet into the air, with valuable relics adorned haphazardly on its golden surface. At the side of the room, was a blank wall. When a certain phrase was spoken, the wall became an entrance. The entrance exposed a long tunnel which had display cases on the walls which led weapons of continent destroying power. At the end of this tunnel, was another, smaller room which had a desk in the middle. In this desk a Greater Doppelgänger sat, all alone.

In his long and elegant hands was a golden sphere. The sphere had two white wings coming out of its sides, which flapped gently every couple of minutes. Those long fingers caressed the surface of the globe, before producing a handkerchief. The golden object was efficiently cleaned by the silken handkerchief. As soon as it was cleaned, the sphere flapped its wings, and disappeared down the endless halls. Pandora's Actor looked after him in disappointment.

Pandora's Actor had begged Ainz for a chance to return to the Treasury so he could admire and feel the treasures of the Supreme Beings, and Ainz had granted his wish without hesitation, though only for three days. However, after enjoying society for the first time, Pandora's Actor thought the Treasury seemed lonely and silent, unlike the bustling city he had known for almost a year.

"Pandora's Actor?"

He would have perked up his ears if he possessed any. He straightened at the sound of the voice echoing in his mind, and swirled his coat dramatically. He threw a salute into the air, before placing his hand on his chest.

"Yes, Ainz-sama? Your loyal son is here for your command."

"My s-son? Oh, right. In any case, Pandora's Actor, I have a job for you. Listen up. You will travel to the city of E-Rantel. A tracker I placed on an object of great value to the denizens of the New World has been moved. Dressed as Momon, I want you to follow it, apprehend the thieves, and recover the object. Do you understand?"

"Ja, mein gott!"

He saluted again, clicked his heels, and left the Treasury. Once he was able to, he twisted the ring on his finger and appeared at the exit to the Great Tomb. He feigned putting a mask on his face, and as soon as his hand was about a centimeter from his face, the whole armor spread from that point with a blue wave and a whoosh. Pandora's Actor smiled internally at the effect, twirled his swords, and strode into the sunlight.

Part 2: Ijaniya

Recently, they had been approached by a group with a commission for them to take. They had been previously working for Jircniv, but they knew the Blood Emperor had little use of their talents these days. Therefore, they had eagerly accepted the commission, and accepted the job. The group, Zuranon, had given three conditions.

Acquire the object without attempting to use it.

Do not damage it.

Keep it covered in objects of high holy potency at all times.

Zuranon had paid very well, and in advance, so Ijaniya had agreed. They had gathered the Veil of the White Maiden, the holiest object they could acquire. They had snuck into the vault without being noticed via specialized teleportation spells, gotten out with the object, and ran. There had been many small things to work with, but Ijaniya were professionals. Every obstacle had been overcome. Except one.

Minutes after they had escaped the vault, Momon the Dark Hero had announced the theft. Their spies had been shocked that he had noticed so quickly. The legendary hero had appeared in the city mysteriously, and announced he would finally rid the world of the object's evil. Shortly after, they had discovered they could no longer teleport, and that every attempt ended with a jarring crash. Three of them had killed themselves before they realized that they couldn't teleport. They had prepared for being followed: As soon as it had been announced, they had all split up and ran to twenty different locations. Each of them carried a copy of the item, wrapped in silks which resembled the Veil of the White Maiden. Each of them mounted a swift horse, and rode off. Once they reached a safe house, they gave the object to another person, who rode off. Someone with another copy also left the safe house.

It was a nearly foolproof strategy: If the object was not recovered quickly, soon you would have to deal with 40 capable and swift riders spreading out in all directions. They had been confident that they would be able to make the week long journey to Zuranon headquarters with the item. However, the had started losing operatives at an alarming rate. Six had been hunted down before they even reached the safe house. Their corpses were found nearly decapitated, and laying on the ground. The copy of the item was missing from all of their bodies. Their gear had been recovered, and they had been left to rot.

Itzna was one of the four who had reached the safe house, and she had staggered into the door. Her leg was missing at the waist, and her horse was nearly dead. The item had been taken, and two riders had been sent out with it. A Dark Warrior on a massive hamster was seen destroying the safe house minutes after they departed. Now, he was the last one left. It seemed like the Dark Hero never slept, and his mount never tired, for he had been pursuing and destroying them one by one. Indeed, Korno had long since learned how he had gained his legendary reputation.

To his dismay, Momon had been chasing him for almost a day. He had been unable to eat, sleep, or barely even drink due to the endless chase. He had chosen the quickest routes, and taken risky gambles, but it only payed off for a half an hour at most before the blood red cape was behind him again. He knew he was on the last the stretch now.

He spurred his horse faster, kicking it in the side to keep up the gallop. He was only three hours away from the Zuranon headquarters, Coriolis. He just had to make it to the rendenvous, where he wold get some support. He looked up, and suddenly he saw five undead horses galloping toward him, with men wreathed in dark auras astride them. Each man had a different weapon, and they were rumored to be as capable as Adamantium adventurers. To his weary eyes, they looked like salvation. Korno kicked his horse again. The mount was lathered in exhaustion, stumbling in exhaustion, and looked half-dead. Reaching over, he poured the last stamina potion into its mouth. It regained its stride and ran forward again. He glanced over his shoulder. Behind him he saw two wise and powerful eyes, and the body of the Beast of the Forest. He saw a red cape, dark armor, and two greatswords.

He looked forward again. He was only two hundred meters from the riders in front of him. He could make it. Suddenly, there was a zing, and a greatsword flew a hair over his head. It had been thrown like a javelin, with tremendous force. It skimmed through the trees over his head, dropping branches around him. He smiled at the miss, and then looked forward. 100 hundred meters to the horsemen. 80. Suddenly, a sword plowed into his horse, slicing it into two pieces. It galloped for a second, before the top of its body slid off with a squelch. Korno landed in a roll and sprinted forward. The riders on horses passed him, and engaged Momon.

He heard the ringing of swords on armor, a succession of screams, and swords clashing. He glanced back over his shoulder as he ran to see the Dark Hero gracefully avoiding all the swings. With a flourish, he neatly beheaded two of his assailants. The others met a swift end seconds later, but Korno looked forward and missed their swift deaths, but he heard the fighting end. _Who is this guy to kill an adamantium team in 30 seconds?_

He focused his mind, and sprinted forward. He was blessed with a Talent for extreme stamina, and he could run at 3 m/s mph for hours. He took deep breaths and ran up a hill. His breathing was even, and he was sure that he would make it. He burst into a clearing at the top of the hill. The woods drew back, leaving a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains.

Suddenly, a shadow appeared in front of him, skidding to a stop. He only saw the back of the head, and the red cape. His gaze went down to the black boots, and then back to the head. Momon wasn't even facing him, and the he even appeared to be nonchalantly admiring the scenery. A deep and commanding voice echoed forth

"Give me the object. You have no hope of beating me."

Korno considered for a second, and then nodded. He handed him the object in such a way that Momon was sure to fumble it. Indeed, the warrior dropped it, cursing in an unknown language. Korno stabbed his dagger with a sudden flash directly into the slit of the helm. He heard a wet noise, and stepped back. If the blow landed, it was sure to be fatal.

Momon stood up, unfazed. Suddenly, his armor flashed and disappeared. In its place was a warrior with a katana and a strange armor. (Pandora's Actor took Takemikazuchi's form while wearing Momon's armor in order to have better combat stats) Seconds later, the second warrior flashed as well and turned into a strange creature with three holes in its featureless face, and a military uniform of some kind.

"Alright, you made your choice. I'm afraid your end will be long and horrible."

The strange creature pulled out the dagger from its eyes, and picked Korno up easily. It struck a dramatic pose, holding Korno in the air with one arm, silhouetted against the mountainous backdrop. Korno tried to scream, but long fingers wrapped around his throat too strongly. He passed out after one minute and 23 seconds. His assaillent had been counting under its breath.

Pandora's Actor looked at the unconscious man in his hand. He dropped him onto the floor unceremoniously, and picked up the object. It was a goat-headed man with four arms, each holding a gem. Its crude look and unfinished shape belied the evil energy emanating strongly off of it.

Seconds later, a gate appeared. Pandora's Actor stepped through, dragging the body behind him.

He arrived in Nazarick a second later, and threw the body onto the ground of the 1st Floor. A couple skeletons appeared out of the darknessand took it away to places unknown.

"Gashokukochuuou always needs new nests, I suppose."

He teleported into the Treasury. One of the abilities of his class; Lord of the Castle, allowed him to teleport to anywhere he designated as his home no matter what, so he could directly appear there despite the teleportation restrictions. He walked over to the massive pile of treasure, and did a quick twirl in place, allowing his coat lapels to flutter. When he completed his turn, he threw out a hand with an elegant flair, allowing the item within to fly onto the pile of treasure. It landed on the exact spot it had been kept before his master had used it during the Demonic Disturbance.

Pandora's Actor went back towards his desk, and began polishing items again. He was satisfied with his work.

Part 3: Demiurge

Demiurge summoned a small flame to the tip of his fingers, and began burning away parts of the skull. He had been designing a type of engine that he had read about in one of the books inside Ashurbanipal, and he had decided to recreate it out of human bones. Currently he had thirteen cogs made out of bone, and he was making the fourteenth and final one.

He smiled as he began to imagine the praise his master would lavish upon him when he completed it, and then refocused. His glasses were on the table next to some tools, and his gem-like eyes swirled and adjusted as he focused his vision.

Suddenly he got a message from one of his subordinates.

"Pandora's Actor has returned, boss. You wanted to talk to him?"

"Yes. Thank you."

Demiurge straightened, and carefully put all of his pieces away. Then he sent a message down to the Treasury.

"Pandora's Actor-san. How was your mission?"

"Hello, Demiurge-san. It went very well. I believe I have made Ainz-sama proud: I recovered the object, and it is secure in the Treasury, where it belongs."

"Very good. You have certainly done well. I have some questions to you regarding your mission, however. Firstly, did Ainz know that Zuranon would make a grab for it?"

"I'm not sure. I did, as well, ask my Creator this, but he only looked at me enigmatically and uttered five words of inscrutable wisdom: 'it is standard baiting procedure'. I asked what that meant, but he told me to think for myself."

Demiurge stroked his chin.

"Baiting suggests that he was setting a trap. But was it opportunism or a true trap? I'm inclined to believe the latter. Truly, he is wise and possessed of foresight that even I marvel at! Secondly, if he did want to snare Zuranon, what do you imagine his eventual goal is?"

"Hmm. Perhaps he intends to destroy Zuranon? Perhaps he wants to bring them over. Maybe he wants to bribe them with objects of power? However, there are too many contradictory threads for any solid conclusion to be gained. I intend to wait and see, and help when needed."

"That is admirable, but I believe my duty is to attempt to interpret the words of the divine. Therefore, I think it most likely that he intends to bring them over, to work under us. I certainly see how they could be useful in the future."

"Perhaps, Demiurge-san. If I can help a fellow humble servant of the august leader of our creators, I will."

"Thank you."

Demiurge ended the message, and picked up his pieces again. He found that putting things together carefully physically helped him untangle the interwoven and complex tangle that made up the infinite considerations of his master. He considered hundreds of these threads while working, before finally seizing on the rudiments of a plan that had a high probability of success. He sent a message to one of his subordinates, the Evil Lord of Sloth.

"Gather some Death Knights and Elder Liches, and bring at least one Mind of Death with you. I want you to go to this location, and stand outside for as long as it takes before you are contacted. When you are contacted, I will teleport over."

He sent some coordinates mentally.

"Sure thang, boss-man."

Strangely, his Evil Lord of Sloth spoke like some sort of teenager, relaxed and uncaring. It irritated him, but he knew his subordinate was intelligent and powerful, so he let it slide.

He picked up his tools and began etching rhythmic grooves in perfectly straight lines along a tibia which had been carved into a featureless rectangular prism. He had barely been working for 20 minutes before he received a message from The Pit.

"Lord, subject 29-a has escaped her cell. She is armed, though she is unarmored, and a risk level of D. We have her cornered, but I just thought you might want some fun before we deal with it."

"Thank you. It is very considerate of you to think of me during a prison break. I will be over shortly."

Demiurge's smile widened as he imagined mentally tormenting Remedios in a mind game, before plunging her back into the hell that was the breeding experiments.

Part 4: Ainz

Ainz felt positive for the first time in nearly two years. He had finally gotten far enough in conquering the world that he was certain that he couldn't mess it up. The Re-Estize Kingdom and Baharuth Empire were his vassals. The Draconic Kingdom would need aid in the future if it was going to survive, the Argland Council State's only weapon, the Platinum Dragon Lord, seemed to like him, and the Slane Theocracy was reeling from the loss of its army, though the mightiest human nation had recovered very well, and was almost at full operational capacity again.

Ainz stood up, and examined himself in the mirror. He was inside his room, practicing again.

"You DARE challenge me? Impudent dog, I will wipe you from the earth!"

He roared at the mirror, and performed the dramatic and intimidating movement so well that he nearly frightened himself. He checked it off in his notebook. Several other lines had been crossed off as well, but he was most proud of this one.

Suddenly, he remembered something. If he recalled correctly, Demiurge had said something about him hoping Ainz would check out his Bidepal Sheep farm. He realized he had nothing better to do, so he decided to see what one of his most capable subordinates had been up to. He sent a message down to the 7th Floor.

"Demiurge."

"Hmm? Ainz-sama! I am yours to command."

"I was wondering if it might be a good time for me to check out the farm. Are you busy?"

"Not at the moment. As it happens, I was just about to head over there. One of our prisoners has escaped; would you like to watch me deal with her?"

"Why not? I'll teleport over."

He twisted his ring, and the scenery warped, disappeared, and then rearranged itself to the blazing inferno that was the 7th floor.

He appeared right next to Demiurge,as he had intended. Immediately, the Demon kneeled in front of him.

"Ainz-sama. Welcome to my humble abode."

"Hello, Demiurge. Thank you, but please get up."

Demiurge nodded, and stood up. He elegantly shook his leg, and all of the volcanic dirt fell off, landing on the floor in a gentle shower. He turned to look behind Ainz, prompting the overlord to do the same. Behind him, a giant door was set into a rocky cliff. Two straining demons opened the door at Demiurges cue, revealing a blackness which appeared to spill out into the surrounding area. Ainz's Darkvision kicked in half a second later, and the darkness dissipated, showing him a decorated stone lobby with several passages branching out of it.

Demiurge walked inside, and stopped in front of a demon sitting at a desk.

"Olloro, where is Remedios right now?"

"Demiurge-sama, Remedios has been hounded into the Arena on level five. The demons thought it would be fun to put her where most of the breeding experiments took place."

"Very good. That will surely cause a psychological impact, I approve. Ainz-sama, if you would come this way with me."

Ainz followed Demiurge as he racked his mind. _Where have I heard the name Remedios before? Was it that woman in Re-Estize? No, wait. It's that paladin, the one who hated me. How did she end up here?_

"Demiurge, how did Remedios end up here? Won't she be missed in the Holy Kingdom?"

"We captured her discreetly, and replaced her with a doppelgänger. I thought it might help some of my experiments to have a powerful human present."

Ainz nodded. Just then, they passed through a doorway, opening them into a long hallway with iron doors set into it. Ainz remembered helping Ulbert and Pereroncino build his place, but he didn't remember what for. He vaguely remembered Peroroncino mentioning he put all sorts of toys for his special activities in here. However, the screams echoing out of the doors didn't sound very happy.

"Demiurge, what goes on in this place?"

Demiurge glanced at him, his glasses glinting in the red light coming from Ainz's eyes.

"I take most of the strong humans from my farm and run tests on them. We cut off limbs and regrow them, as you know, but I also have breeding experiments in this particular area. Remedios was participating in those."

"You make it sound like she was willing."

Demiurge chuckled, and continued walking. Soon, they came across an arena which was lit by torches ringing the inside. The area outside the arena was a wasteland stretching in all directions. Standing in the middle of the arena was a woman in her early twenties. Her hair was loose and ragged, and her feet were torn. Held in her hands was a axe many times her size. Several demons lounged on the stands, occasionally throwing fireballs or javelins lazily at her. She deflected all projectiles, and angrily dared the demons to fight her.

Demiurge stepped forward into the light, while Ainz stayed hidden in the shadow. Upon seeing Demiurge, she screamed angrily. Ainz suddenly noticed that she was completely naked, with several gouges on her body. She was very sweaty from exertion, and the light also illuminated many scars and open wounds. However, his undead body was long past the point of reacting to such things.

"Jaldabaoth! Where am I? I thought you were dead!"

"Ah, Remedios. You are in my realm now, Hell. When the Sorcerer King banished me, I returned here."

"Am I dead? These demons won't talk to me."

" No. I still have enough influence in the mortal realm to bring you to me, where I will doom you to an eternity of pain, torture, and, of course, your favorite activity."

Remedios started to shiver at those last three words, and for a second looked terrified and beaten down. Ainz almost felt sorry for the once mighty warrior. Then, her face cleared, and she lifted the axe, and charged Demiurge. To Ainz and Demiurge, it was pathetically slow.

He stepped aside easily, and backhanded her forty feet away. She got up, and he smacked her down to the floor again. Every time she tried to rise, he hit her with violent force. Hit. She rose an inch. Another hit. She tried again. Another hit. She tried to roll out of the way, and he kicked her savagely. Demiurge's face was alive with pure, sadistic joy, and he suddenly looked alot less like an oriental gentleman than a demon.

He kept pounding her into the dirt until Remedios no longer tried to rise. Demiurge made no move toward her, instead, he looked at Ainz. Ainz panicked for a second, before realizing Demiurge wanted him to act. He looked just like Ulbert had when he had thought it might be a good time for some roleplaying- all mild frustration and expectance.

"Remedios. I can save you. Accept me, and I will free you from this fate."

Remedios turned her head with effort to look at Ainz. Her eyes widened in shock.

"You…! Are you here to heap more indignities upon me?"

Ainz tried to make his voice sound gentle.

"No, Remedios. I'm here to help you. Pledge your soul into servitude for fifty years, and I will allow you to die peacefully. You can forget about all this."

Ainz made up the soul thing, but the rest of it was genuine. He could hardly imagine the horror heaped upon her, and the last parts of his humanity told him to try to help her. Even Remedios didn't deserve this. He made an offer that he would have accepted in her place, and waited for her to accept. To his shock, she didn't. She summoned strength from somewhere, and started to stand up. Demiurge made as if to beat her down again, but Ainz laid a hand on his shoulder. Remedios grabbed the axe, and used it to help her stand up. A demon threw a rotten fruit at her, and it landed on her bare back, but she didn't react.

"Your brains must have rotted with the rest of you if you think I will ever let you rule me. I've seen what Jaldabaoth has done to my fellow humans. He farms them like sheep! I will never serve you, the two of you are connected! Instead, I challenge you to a duel. When I win, you let us all go, me and the other humans. If I lose, you can do whatever you want."

Ainz was shocked. _Does she think she can win? That weapon couldn't ever hurt me, and she's far to weak even in perfect shape. Who cares? I'll make this quick._ He studied her face. There was none of the self-sacrificing determination of Gazef, only madness.

"You DARE challenge me? Impudent dog, I will wipe you from the face of the earth!"

After delivering the performance, he stared at her threateningly. She stepped back a few paces. After a moments consideration, Ainz waved a hand, and healed Remedios to full health. _Might as well make it fair._

"Know this. When you lose, I will not save you from Jaldabaoth. You have doomed yourself as assuredly as you could have. Ready?"

Remedios charged as soon as he said ready, without waiting for a countdown. She flew toward him, the axe held horizontally and braced in both hands. Ainz allowed her to plow into him. Predictably, she did no damage at all. Ainz grabbed her head before she could recover.

[Paralysis]

Remedios made a strangled gargle, and then fell limp. Ainz tossed her on the floor. The whole thing had taken a two seconds.

Ainz looked at Demiurge.

"Do whatever you want with her. However, Demiurge, I have a question about the farm. You are farming PEOPLE?"

"Yes, Ainz-sama."

Ainz swallowed his next words with difficulty. He allowed the shock to reach critical levels, and it was suddenly reduced by his emotion nullifier. The calm fell over him in a wash of relief. He swallowed his remaining shock, and gave the answer which was expected.

"Ah, good. Keep up the good work."

Demiurge nodded and bowed as his master shimmered and disappeared. As soon as he disappeared, he turned towards the prone Remedios.

"Well, well. You turned down your only chance at salvation. How predictable. You are going to die here knowing that you could have changed your fate, and refused it. Something else to add to the long list of failures to your country and your queen."

He looked at one of the demons casually juggling heads on the stands.

"Horatio. Summon the Evil Lord of Lust. Tell him its his turn again, and to bring his tools."

On the floor at his feet, Remedios made a gagging noise as she tried to scream. Memories of the previous times came flooding back, and a tear leaked out of her eye. Demiurge chuckled gently.

"Sorry, Remedios."

 **A/N Welp, I looked at the reviews and decided to go with this. Hope you guys liked it. Sorry about how long it is between updates, but my college started after break and it's taking time. Hail Ainz-sama!**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13 Part 1: Holy King Caspond

Caspond paced his corridors, as he had for an hour. Anyone who saw him would have immediately viewed him as the perfect example of a man at his wit's end, desperate and in dire straits. However, it was fake. Doppel-Caspond was more than capable of portraying himself as whatever he wanted. As he paced, he picked up the thoughts of those around him that were directed towards him.

"King Caspond-sama seems really worried."

"I'm sure we will be alright if King Caspond is at the helm."

And finally, he heard what he was listening for.

"As long as the King gets help from His Divine Majesty, we will be alright."

Caspond had been instructed to closely monitor the religion of Ainzism, as Demiurge had become convinced that it was the key to holding the Holy Kingdom. In a recent visit, the Archfiend had told him the next steps of the plan: Now that civil war had finally been provoked, they would utterly destroy the southern half of the kingdom, and paint them as traitors. The help from the Sorcerous Kingdom would paint Ainz-sama in a good light, allowing him and his growing religion to seize control of the nation. Demiurge had pointed a good amount of kernels for the plan that Ainz-sama must have laid down earlier, such as promoting his religion and keeping the Kingdom in a state of turmoil. Another thing Demiurge had pointed out was how Ainz had removed all possible help for the Kingdom methodically. The Empire and the Re-Estize Kingdom were both vassals. The Argland Council state seemed to like Ainz, and even view his influence as positive. The Draconic Kingdom was on its last legs. Finally, Ainz had completely destroyed the military of the Slane Theocracy. At the time, Demiurge had thought Ainz's insistence was a bad idea, but he had now seen the various paths which had been laid before his master's foresight.

Caspond's benign face raised into a gentle grin as he imagined the destruction his masters would rain down upon the humans. They would be given a carrot and a stick, to help their primitive minds accept their new rulers. The carrot of Ainz's gentle, prosperous, and wise rule, the stick of the promise of destruction that faced all who stood against him.

The Doppelgänger had never seen Ainz in person, as he had specially spawned for his mission. However, the things he heard about the last and greatest of the Supreme Beings made his toes curl. He had a dominating presence which cowed seven level 100s at once. He possessed spells, abilities, and military tactics which surpassed those of any in Nazarick. He was said to be incredibly charismatic, causing people to love him by force of will alone. But his most touted asset was said to be an arcane and potent mind which mapped out the course of the centuries as easily as one reads a book. The Doppelgänger may not have ever met the Supreme One, but he was excited indeed.

The news that he would soon be meeting what he, and many other low level denizens of the Great Tomb, considered their idol had set his heart beating rapidly, and the agitation he feigned for the benefit of the guards was not entirely faked.

Finally, after executing numberless orbits of the the room, he thrust open the door. The guards stationed there bowed their heads.

"Caspond-sama."

"Hello. Thank you for guarding my quarters while I thought. I know it can be annoying to have to stand and wait, but it must be done."

He smiled like a father looking at beloved children. Doppel-Caspond intuitively responded to the soldiers's perception of an elegant and kind man who cared for his men, but who was more pragmatic and efficient than his late sister, Calca. He nodded his head at the smiling soldiers and walked down the hallway.

He was going into a meeting with some advisors to hear about the war effort, and to make decisions revolving around defense of the capital.

The war was not going well, as was to be expected. The north had lost almost all of its army, including paladins, men-at-arms, Magic Casters, archers, and even the Holy Queen during Jaldabaoth's invasion. As a result, most of the battles they had won had been off of the back of two of the Death Knights lent to them by Ainz-sama, and Shizu-dono, who stayed behind. However, even with such powerful allies, they had lost ground. They had a few more northern cities, but the capital was the the most southern city remaining to them, and it was currently on the ever-advancing frontline.

Marching towards the city was a massive southern army. Every day, a rider came forward and gave offered terms of surrender, and every day, Caspond refused. They had sent him three offers in one day when they had managed to take down one of the Death Knights through a massive expenditure of life and mana, but still he had stayed firm. However, it was because he didn't truly care for the country, and he knew aid was incoming.

Neia had been preaching her religion frequently and eloquently, so the inhabitants of the capital were convinced Ainz-sama would intervene. There was no talk of surrender, of ending the war for the greater good, and Caspond's firmness was applauded.

Caspond stepped into the Advisory Hall. However, instead of the clutch of worried men, he was greeted by three figures. One was a distinguished gentleman in an unmistakable suit- the Iron Butler, Sebas. The other was an equally distinguished gentleman in an equally unmistakable suit- the Archfiend, Demiurge. Sitting between them in a regal pose was a skeleton with crimson fires burning in his eyes. He wore rich garments, and Divine-class equipment littered his body. An aura of power shimmered around him, and his eyes peered into his soul. Standing in his very presence suddenly gave the Doppelgänger a sense of fulfillment. Standing by ones creator has that effect, as well as the sheer presence the overlord emitted. Standing near him was truly intense.

Doppel-Caspond felt dizzy as he realized he was looking at the Supreme One. _He is truly worthy of his title! Everything I've heard is true! Okay, calm down, act cool._

He kneeled, legs shaking.

"Ainz, Lord-sama, Ainz-sama! Oh Supreme One, I am your master, oh wise and powerful servant! Er… I mean, Ainz-sama! I am your servant, oh wise and powerful Lord!"

He mentally slapped himself, and then gulped as three powerful auras of killing intent lanced into him, crushing him to the floor. He struggled to stay kneeling as a vast weight pressed on his shoulders.

"Doppelgänger. Please report to Ainz-sama immediately. Do not disrespect him again, or we may find a new Caspond."

"Of course! My apologies, Demiurge-sama. Ainz-sama, your presence was so fearsome i lost control of what I was saying."

Demiurge nodded in acceptance and approval.

"As for the report, we are losing badly. In short, we are out of men, losing Death Knights, and the city is about to be overrun. On the other hand, the citizens are confident in your intervention. Morale is high, and Neia Baraja is holding daily prayers for your return. If I may presume to guess as to your intentions, you wish to appear at the climax of the battle and save them?"

Ainz looked at him for a second, before nodding.

"Very good, Caspond. You have guessed my intentions. However, I don't think I will be waiting for the climax. I have some projects I'd like to deal with, and I don't want to spend more time here than necessary."

"Of course, Ainz-sama!"

Ainz nodded. Soon after, the four of them teleported into a room overlooking the city. Down below, a massive crowd surrounded a single speaker who appeared to be gesturing wildly. Next to her stood a woman who looked petite even from a distance, and the crowd surged around her as she gestured, rising and falling.

[Magnify Sound]

Demiurge cast a spell which allowed for long range eavesdropping, and the four of them listened closely.

"... Did not Ainz step in when we needed him most beforehand? How could he fail now, when we are also weakened and without hope of victory? There is no justice in our situation, and Ainz-sama is the personification of justice! That means, he will no doubt save us!..."

"She seems to be very enthusiastic, Ainz-sama."

"Indeed, Sebas. I think I might go down there, just to let them know I will help them."

"As you say, Ainz-sama. I am sure you have many reasons to do so."

Ainz nodded, and listened again.

"... When the southern scum approach, I have no doubt Ainz-sama will come. How could he not? He might be here any moment. Let us all bend our thoughts to him, and hope for his speedy intervention..."

The crowd started to yell prayers to Ainz, and they started to work themselves into a fervor. Ainz's gaze swept over Caspond, Demiurge, and Sebas majestically. He drew his aura around him, and to the awestruck Doppelganger, he seemed to loom larger and mightier than life.

"Here I go."

Part 2: Ainz

"Here I go."

[Gate]

Ainz stepped into the black and purple portal. Briefly the world turned black as he traveled through the short distance. In Yggdrasil, [Gate] had a short delay that allowed the game to load terrain, which apparently had translated to the New World. The crowd gasped as the mysterious rift appeared behind the speaking Neia, and collectively drew their breath in. Shizu immediately spun, and kneeled before the portal, even before Ainz stepped out.

He tried to remember his kingly behavior, and he took slow, grand steps. He stepped through the portal, and tapped his staff against the ground. He swept his gaze over the crowds, and tried to make eye contact with as many people as possible, as he remembered Ankori Mochi Mochi saying that it helped win a crowd over.

Behind him, the portal disappeared. Ainz silently cleared his throat, and tried to imagine what the roleplaying king, Ulbert, would do in this situation.

"My people… I have come to save you! Gaze upon salvation and rejoice!"

 _Too far! It just came out so naturally._

The crowd was silent enough to worry Ainz, but before he could try to assess the damage, they burst into tears and shouts. Many of those closest to him stared up in rapture and awe.

"He's real!"

"Our savior!"

"He came when we prayed, just like Neia said he would!"

Slowly, the crowd started to applaud and cheer. Neia had stared at him, and although her eyes were hidden, she appeared to be crying. Slowly, she knelt in front of him, and the crowd followed. Ainz felt an immense paternal love, and an unusually strong desire to help the humans, short-lived and weak though they were. They all knelt in silence for a second, before he realized they wanted him to speak, to tell them what to do

"Well, humans of the Holy Kingdom. I will help you win back your lands. We will drive the rebels away, and I will give any man who surrenders mercy. Anyone who was hurt or treated unfairly will be given their justice."

The word justice rolled through the crowd as they processed his words. They muttered it to their neighbors kneeling next to them. Some shouted it, others screamed, slowly it became a chant which rang down the streets. He stepped forward, and pulled Neia gently to her feet, and he smiled at her as much as a skeleton could. _Man, I'm really overdoing this. Guess I'll go all the way._ Ainz rose into the air, soaring majestically above all. He pivoted to look at the Doppelganger, who had stepped out after him.

"Caspond! You will gather the army, we will be marching towards the capital. Don't worry about logistics, or even the enemy. We will take care of everything."

Ainz felt lucky he possessed such power. He didn't need to worry about feeding the army or defending them, or even worry about tactics. He just steamrolled everything in his path. No one would be foolish enough to meet him in open battle, not after two single handed slaughters. If they tried diplomacy, he would offer unconditional surrender. If they tried guerilla warfare, he would send high level minions to snuff them out. Victory was already within his hands, all he needed to do was take it.

The next day, an army marched out of the city. Behind it, a peasant mob walked happily. They bore bright banners, but they were not of the Holy Kingdom. The leader they applauded was not Caspond. The military they respected was not the Holy Army. No, they were marching for Ainz. They respected Ainz. Their banners were the sigil of Ainz Ooal Gown, of the Sorcerous Kingdom.

Each man was certain of victory, and if they felt doubt, they simply looked towards their savior who strode ahead of them on an undead steed, lazily holding a flag in his bony hand. If any man felt doubt, he only needed to look to that solid and majestic profile, feel the weight and power of his gaze, and the confidence with which strode.

At their sides, monsters and legendary undead strode. That morning, a gate had opened and Quagoa, Ents, Dragons, Beastmen and hundreds of other had come out beside a massive army of skeletons. The army of Ainz Ooal Gown stretched for miles in every direction, and he rode at the front, guiding his newest people forward.

Let his enemies beware, Ainz had come to protect his own!

 **Sorry for the short chapter, I'll have a longer one next time. Tell me what you thought, and, as always,**

 **Hail Ainz-sama**


	14. Chapter 14

**Sorry if this is a short one.**

Chapter 14 Part 1: Holy King Armand

Armand smiled at the southern nobles kneeling in front of him. He sat on a makeshift throne inside a red tent emblazoned with the sigil of the Southern Holy Kingdom, and in front of him the supporters who raised him to Holy King knelt to hear his words.

"Thank you, Nobles, for gathering here. I would like to give a battle report. We are two days from the city, and word is that most of the populace has left, though the Death Knight remained, and that she-demon. However, we know that our victory will be swift and assured. We will cleanse our beloved country of Traitor-King Caspond's taint!"

The assembled Nobles gave a great shout of agreement. They quickly set about organizing things under Armand's commands. Though he was young, Armand was an intelligent and gifted man, and he had quickly forged his unorganized southern peers into a hammer which had crushed the north. Now his Nobles drew up battle plans, gathered their armies, and placed battle lines that stretched from horizon to horizon.

Though they were at war, the south was as harmonious as their diligent forebears had been.

Suddenly, a squire stumbled into the tent. The Nobles stared at him disapprovingly, and the guards moved to throw him out.

"Wait-! I'm a scout!"

"Let go of him. Soldier, give me your report."

"It's unbelievable, sire! Most of the population of the capital is marching towards us! There are a hundred thousand of them, singing prayers and hymns. The northern army marches with them, but it is supported by all manner of hideous and blasphemous beats. Towering undead, Demihumans, Heteromorphs, and cold legions of skeleton warriors. They aren't flying the flag of the Holy Kingdom, they are flying HIS flag. The Sorcerer King's! I would estimate that dreadful undead king has almost 20,000 undead, but most are very powerful. Hundreds of Death Knights on Soul Eaters! We're doomed, and they are only an hour away! The other scouts in the area were all intercepted and killed by mysterious shadows, only I escaped."

"What would you have us do?"

The squire gulped at what he was about to suggest.

"I would surrender, my King. We can't win against the Sorcerer King, and his undead don't tire. We can't run forever."

One of the Nobles stood up, spit flecking his mouth as he shouted in outrage.

"How dare you suggest our Holy King would run in the face of danger! We are on the side of the gods, we will cast this unholy undead down and spit on his bones!"

Another Noble joined in.

"To think we would run? Take of this traitorous squire's head!"

They looked at Armand for permission, and he nodded. He turned to his Nobles as the squire was dragged away, screaming.

"My lords, what would you have me do? Remember the lessons learned about fighting the Sorcerer King on the field?"

Armand knew all too well what would happen if they fought that undead. Another massacre. His new country would be torn down and horribly defeated. He considered his options. He could attempt guerilla warfare, but he knew he couldn't last forever. He could try diplomacy, but he might receive tough terms. He could simply run, and although they might be let go, its more likely they would just be killed from behind. He couldn't stand and fight, and he couldn't run.

Meanwhile, the Nobles were fighting for who would lead the charge against the Sorcerer King, and Armand briefly regretted elevating such foolish Nobles to power. He had wanted easy to persuade peers, but he got incompetents instead, as likely to turn on him for no real reason as to fight his enemies.

"Gentlemen. None of you will lead the charge. I'm afraid that squire is correct, we can't fight. We can't run either. I've heard this Sorcerer King has a knack for outwitting his enemies, how right they were. Does any man have a suggestion that is not warfare?"

There were sullen mumbles, with some people starting to suggest something before realizing the folly and closing their mouths. Armand put a hand on his beard and sat on to his throne. He thought for about ten minutes in silence. He slowly realized he had no way out- surrender was the only option.

 _The power of a man who can single handedly turn a looming victory into a prospect of certain defeat! How frustrating!_

He was about to get up when he heard screams coming from the fringes of the camp. They sounded like men in battle, and he heard frantic shouts outside the tent.

"Protect the King! Don't let them get clo-argh!"

"Run!"

"AIIIIEEEE!"

Armand stepped outside his tent. The Nobles followed tentatively behind him, like sheep hiding behind the ram. There were soldiers running through the camp in complete disarray. He slowly straightened, and looked around in disbelief.

Part 2: Southern Captain

He stumbled forward, desperately securing a crude breastplate. He managed to secure it, and then he buckled on his sword belt. Finally fully equipped, he ran forward. The tents were swarming with men running in all directions. A horn blew three times, signaling an attack. He sprinted forward, and started yelling as he went.

"Men! Assemble, get up, you wastes of space! Are you soldiers or boys?"

His inspiring presence yanked the chaos around him into brief order. Men formed up, and ran behind him. He rounded a corner and stopped dead in his tracks. In front of him was a sight completely unseen on a battlefield. The tents were being quickly dismantled and dragged aside by skeletons, and as they were cleared, he saw another awesome sight.

Lines upon lines of mounted Death Knights strode forward in perfect lockstep. Scattered through the lines, undead beings of mythical power strode. Suddenly, with a grinding halt, the Death Knights stopped. They moved five steps to the side in a quick shuffle, revealing a bright crimson carpet. Golden Skeletons holding lances adorned with flags stood every two meters. As one, they raised their lances, and an undead strode down the line.

The undead had robes richer and more magnificent than any he had ever seen. At that moment, many men would have killed their neighbor to own that robe. The undead held a glittering staff in his hand which gave off a strong evil aura. Inside his eye sockets, flame's blazed furiously, a thousand times more present than the spark of undeath found in Elder Liches.

Captain Stagspell suddenly realised what he was looking at. The dreaded Sorcerer King. All the men behind him had stopped moving, and stared in awe. Even the bravest was paralyzed by the aura rolling off this monster. Suddenly, a throne appeared behind the Sorcerer King, stretching almost twenty feet into the air behind him. He sat upon it in a single majestic movement.

"Men of the Holy Kingdom! I have come to wipe you out. If you surrender and pledge yourself to me, I will let you live. If not, only certain death awaits you."

Captain Stagspell gripped his sword. He knew it was suicide, but he was determined he would never serve an undead. He activated every martial art he could, and charged.

[Greater Speed] [Limit Breaker: Body] [Flow Acceleration] [Quick Strike]

His men gasped as four martial arts were activated at once, a praiseworthy feat. As he charged forward, they followed. Hundreds of men charged after him.

[Invocation of Khaine]

The Sorcerer King uttered one spell. Suddenly, every soldier for two hundred meters fell to their knees. A red mist started to exit their mouth, coalescing into a cloud above the gathered soldiers. The mist flickered with lightning, and it blew in menacing shapes and shadows.

A red light was emitted by the cloud, and a person appeared on the ground. It was a red human with horns and a tail, who stood on the legs of a bull. In its hand was a wicked looking black blade, dripping with blood. Two tattered and black wings draped from its back. Stagspell watched, completely unable to move, as it walked towards the Sorcerer King.

"Invoker. State the target of your murderous desire."

The emissary of the God of Murder spoke in a guttural voice that seemed to be off balance with the world.

"Emissary. Please take the life of all soldiers of the Southern Holy Kingdom. I offer them as tribute to your dark god."

"As you wish."

The emissary snapped its fingers. Captain Stagspells vision faded to black, and soldiers everywhere started falling to the ground. Armand was the last to fall. He had stumbled towards the Sorcerer King, and watched as the fatal spell was carried out. He fell to his feet. All around him, his advisors and friends dropped like birds. Finally, he keeled over.

A short distance away, the men of the Northern Holy Kingdom watched in silence. There was no joy in what they witnessed, and they realized on that day that justice is not a comforting pillow. Justice is a blade that cuts away the unclean. It is the flame that purifies the profane. Their faces were solemn, but enlightened.

Part 3: Narrator

The coming days were difficult for the once proud nation. The Southerners refused to bend the knee to Ainz, having never been his ally. They only saw him as a manipulative scourge, an undead who somehow placed their northern cousins under his fell influence. The priests scurried to raise the townsfolk, and the newly founded country bustled with holy activity. They raised armies overnight. They sent requests to every nation, even vassals of the Sorcerer King. Those that stayed behind furiously prepared crops, and forged arms.

To them, the forces of good were arranging to snuff out evil, or be destroyed in the process. They worked in a fervor, and when the day came, they marched towards the north. They were greeted by all seven of the guardians and Ainz, sitting at a a stone table in their path, with a white flag flying in the wind next to it.

They were greeted with a parley, and emboldened by the sight of Ainz seemingly surrendering, demanded his surrender. He informed them that he was going to offer them mercy one last time, but they refused.

There, on the plains, far out of the view of anyone other than those eight, and the northern army, the Guardians went to work. Frostbite numbed, hellfire burned, blood boiled, and skulls were shattered. Beasts ate whole battalions, sprouting woods appeared inside the battle lines, with countless thousand never coming out. Lives were ripped out of bodies by the Great Necromancer. It was a brutal carnage, and it lasted for twenty minutes.

In the coming weeks, Ainz would offer new terms to the southerners. Accept his rule, or perish. Many chose to serve. However, the country was in ruins. Men who would have hunted and built were gone. Families were left alone, and chaos ensued. But when they thought that they were abandoned by their gods, someone new stepped in.

The adherents of Ainzism began preaching in the south. They came with wagons loaded with food, skeletons to do work, and helping hands ready to lift loads and move stones.

Many listened when their next meal depended on it. Ainz himself appeared frequently to help, though he was simply attempting to escape the ever-menacing pile of paper on his desk. With his constant presence and awesome power, many felt that perhaps it was time for a new god.

They began to wish for more open ties with the Sorcerous Kingdom. Most of them had not had a problem with Caspond, and they felt only envy as they watched the growing prosperity of the northern half.

Demiurge was there to anticipate what Ainz's intent was, and rumors were spread of how beneficial his rule was. The people quickly lost their fear and horror. It's hard to fear a skeleton that is your gardener. Its hard to fear a threat when it is next door helping clear a forest.

Most of the country converted to Ainzism, under the approving eyes of Neia Baraja. Slowly, the let themselves be drawn into the fold. Many of the northerners already considered themselves citizens of the Sorcerous Kingdom. They moved freely back and forth, and abided by the tax laws of the Sorcerous Kingdom.

Slowly, the Northern Holy Kingdom disappeared into the Sorcerous Kingdom. Many of the leaders of the Southern Holy Kingdom, men who had been raised from the masses due to ability rather than birth, as was the custom in the Sorcerous Kingdom, felt that it was time they were integrated as well.

They despaired over how to get it past a populace they assumed were bigoted. For three days they debated, until they stepped outside and realized it had happened under their noses. Skeletons worked in every establishment. Battlefields were common places to buy a new household servant, as Ainz had set up a system where the newly spawned undead lined up. Each one was 15 gold. The undead obeyed the commands of an overlord without hesitation.

Albedo had thought it was a great plan, and indeed the coffers of the Sorcerous Kingdom had been fuller than ever.

The leaders decided to leave things be. There were some of them who objected, but there always are those who hate change. It was hard to pin down exactly when, but one day, they all knew they were no longer members of the Holy Kingdom. Indeed, such a place no longer existed.

The Slane Theocracy groaned as they watched another human nation fall and be absorbed. The realized with a chill that they were all that was left. Even the Demihuman nations had mostly bent the knee. To the Cardinals, they were an island in a sea of enemies. To everyone else, they were an obstacle in a sea of friends.

To Demiurge, they were a stepping stone his master would soon surpass.

Ainz, of course, had no idea.

 **A/N hey guys! Where should I go from here? I have a couple ideas, but I'll gladly take suggestions. Leave a review. Ass always, Hail Ainz-sama!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Here we go. Hope you like it!**

Chapter 14 Part 1: Ainz

Ainz rode down the streets of E-Rantel, mounted on a Nightmare. Its four legs clopped against the pavement, and its dark red eyes glowed menacingly. Wisps of smoke whirled off of its black hide, and its ragged batlike wings held snug against its body. Despite the aura coming of off the Nightmare, children frolicked at Ainz's side. They skipped around, touching the Nightmare, and hanging onto its long reptilian tail as it flicked behind the monster. Ainz picked one of the children up, and swung it around on his arms as the other children looked on with envy. The lucky boy's mother swooped in and took the boy, apologizing to AInz.

"I'm so sorry, Your Majesty. I'm so sorry for letting him bother you!"

She scolded the child in a motherly voice.

"No, it's alright. I don't mind."

She looked at him gratefully, before heading back home. Ainz spurred his Nightmare into a canter, leaving the mob of children behind. He was headed towards his Adventurers Labyrinth to check on the goings on there. Soon, he exited the city. Mounted Death Knights formed up behind him, and one of Aura's beasts ran behind him. Ainz could have teleported, but he had heard that a king who was amongst his people was a king who the people loved. _Did Punitto Moe-san tell me that?_

After a couple minutes, he spotted some earth moving in rippling waves. Mare was had at work finishing the final arena where Go Gin would stay. The War Troll was the final boss for adventurers, and there was a 1000 gold prize for beating him.

Ainz reined up the Nightmare and dismounted, walking through the double doors, engraved with Dwarven runes which served as the entrance to the Labyrinth. As he approached, the runes shone. The doors swung open. The runes were a mix of detection and defence. Four runes were on the door, a previously mythical feat.

Once inside, he walked through the shop where dwarves sold their rune-crafted gear. It was expensive, but working in the Labyrinth paid off. Additionally, the gear was top-notch. Most of the dwarves were able to place four runes into armor consistently, and Gondo was even able to achieve five on a good day. About 3 months ago, they had all worked together for two weeks, and the end result had been nine runes on a blade. It was hailed as a national treasure, and Ainz had rewarded them well for their hard work. The blade was offered as the winning prize, along with the gold. It was called Arborial Blade. Although it was only level 45, it overcame any other weapon in the kingdom, possibly aside from Razor Edge. Adventurers from all of Ainz's vassal states gathered to buy armor and weapons from the dwarfs.

Ainz walked into the final room before the Labyrinth actually started, a clinic where wounds were treated. The room was a perfect cube, adorned with leaderboards and challenges. Couches littered the floor, refreshments, and several stands full of healing potions and scrolls. Adventurers tended to gather there before entering the Labyrinth, to rest, prepare, and heal. As Ainz walked in, most of them bowed, though some only inclined their head. Ainz nodded in return, and swept into the hall. He turned, and addressed the crowd, who listened attentively.

"Adventurers. Today, my subordinate has finished the final arena! All who can enter it and defeat the occupant will win the prize you have heard of. So far, none of you have made it past the sixth level, but I have faith you can rise to the challenge. The arena is on the tenth. Good luck!"

One of the Mythril adventurers stood up.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty, but is it even possible for humans like us to complete?"

"Certainly. Momon has completed it. I believe it was on his off day."

"Your Majesty, that's hardly a fair comparison. Momon is no mere human; he is far above the pinnacle of mankind! Could the likes of us ever finish this arena?"

"In time, I'm sure you will be able to. The purpose is to grow stronger, not beat the Labyrinth. Don't fear, soon you will be stronger than you have ever imagined, I guarantee it."

The adventurers nodded. An old grizzled man stood up.

"Your Majesty, if I may ask, why are you here today?"

"I'm here to visit one of my subordinates and give him a present for his birthday. After all, today was when Bukubukuchagama created him."

They nodded, pretending to know what he meant, and let him pass. Ainz walked through the doors, and teleported to Mare.

He game out right behind him, causing him to yelp and turn around, holding his staff as if he was hiding behind it.

"A..Ainz-sama! You startled me!"

Ainz put a hand on his slender shoulder to calm him down.

"Sorry, Mare. I just came to see how you're doing. I see the Arena is finished. Good work."

Mare blushed, the tips of his elven ears turning a bright red, with the color lessening in intensity as it traveled farther down the ear.

"Th-Thank you, Ainz-sama. I am working hard for Nazarick!"

The elf ended with a shy shout, and looked up at Ainz.

"Ainz-sama, did you just come here to congratulate me?"

"Ah, no. I felt that the Labyrinth was too hard. Some of the monsters in here are probably stronger than Go Gin, so I felt like you should get Aura to move them."

"Of course, Ainz-sama. It's just, nee-chan can be scary. Co-could you come with me?"

Ainz chuckled, and patted Mare on the head.

"Of course, Mare."

The two of them teleported onto the sixth floor, and walked towards the silhouette of Aura, standing on top of a hill and directing the Dryads as they tended the gardens. This was where Ainz had decided to grow higher quality crops, and he had recruited some cooks of different species to serve here.

Ainz pushed Mare forward gently.

"Ask her now."

"Nee-chan? I'm here with Ainz!"

Aura spun quickly, and ran over to them. She fake panted as she did so, and wiped imaginary sweat off her forehead.

"Ainz-sama! How can I be of service?"

"Mare has a request for you at my behest."

Aura looked at her timid brother in surprise.

"No problem, Onee-chan. What is it?"

"I- I only thought you should move some of your stronger summons o-out of the Labyrinth."

"If Ainz-sama says so, then I will definitely do it!"

Ainz nodded his head.

"Mare, Aura, I want the two of you to take some time off together. Perhaps go sightseeing in the city. You guys are a favorite of the locals."

They nodded their heads. Right before Ainz was about to twist the ring on his finger, he remembered.

"Mare, today is your creationday, is it not?"

"Y-yes, Ainz-sama."

"Well, I have a gift for you."

He pulled a hammer out of his inventory. It was pink, with inflatable springs on either side.

"This belonged to Bukubukuchagama. Use it well."

"I could never accept this! Ainz-sama, you must take it back!"

"No, no. Mare, you deserve it."

He twisted the ring on his finger before he could hear any objections. His last sight was Aura looking enviously at the hammer while Mare held it close.

The scenery warped, shifted, and reset to his office in E-Rantel. He grimly contemplated the pile of paperwork laying on the desk. Recently, Albedo had been busy managing the increased amount of paperwork stemming from the three vassals, and Ainz had actually spent all of his mana summoning Elder Liches for her, simply to help with the work. She claimed the work was much easier with 800 of the powerful undead, but she was still too busy to work with Ainz, though he knew she would drop everything to be at his side.

He picked up a sheet. It was a survey of the peoples opinions on Ainz's rule. He had decided to send one out, and Demiurge had accepted the idea. The survey results were a statement followed by an average number out of 10 representing the amount.

Faith In Ainz: 8

Faith In Subordinates: 6

Happiness: 8

Hope: 9

And so on and so forth. Most of the numbers were fairly high, and Ainz was glad to see how well his growing empire was doing. Ainz moved his eyes onto the map on his table. It was of the entire known continent. Every day, his adventurers came back and added to it, with forests, canyons, tribes, monuments, craters, waterfalls, and all manner of things. The map was so detailed that Ainz considered it a national treasure on par with many of his strong weapons. Indeed, many emissaries from other nations had looked at it enviously. The entire coast of the continent was recorded, and the middle was nearly filled out. However, the Slane Theocracy was a notable blank spot.

Demiurge had announced that Ainz would be putting his plan for the Slane Theocracy into action, and told the Guardians various ways to prepare. At the time, Ainz had nodded and acted like he knew his own plan, while desperately trying to figure it out. It had something to do with the Super Tier Spell [Armageddon] and the 10th tier spell [Spell-Bought Miracle]. Aside from that, Ainz was in the dark.

He settled into his chair and began steadily and methodically going over the work. Recently, he had taken full advantage of his Lich form to give himself the patience to work through the complicated things he didn't understand. Ainz felt that it was his responsibility as the boss. As a result, he had achieved a much more solid grasp on the goings on of his kingdom, and he even felt like his general Intelligence had risen.

After about thirty minutes, a knock on the door sounded.

"Come in."

Demiurge walked into the room and bowed low.

"Ainz-sama."

"Demiurge. Is there a problem?"

"No, my lord. I just came to alert you to a request from the other guardians, and myself. If you have time, I believe many of us would benefit from knowing the full extent of the plan for the Slane Theocracy. In truth, I am interested in hearing the full extent as well."

 _Oh no! This is the worst possible possibility! How do I get out of this? I'll have to stall for time._ He made an effort to keep his regal posture, and get the words he dreaded to speak out of his mouth.

"Of course, Demiurge. I'll go over my plans tomorrow evening. Be there with Albedo, and all you think need to know what's going on."

"Of course, Ainz-sama."

Demiurge bowed and left the room.

Ainz sighed. His good mood evaporated, replaced by dread. He had thought for hours on how to get out of such a situation, and he had finally arrived on a plan: cheating.

[Call Greater Undead: Mind of Death]

He summoned the most intelligent monster in the game, a level 80 summon who had an intelligence cap that surpassed the limit.

The evening wore on as deep in the E-Rantel Palace, Ainz consulted dark beings and called in favors from darker gods to escape his fate. Anything to avoid being exposed as incompetent to his friend's children.

Part 2: Tenebris.

Tenebris's mighty wings flapped. He had been flying for nearly a month, searching for _her,_ the only being he knew of that could rival the undead king. He and his brother needed allies, and he was willing even to test her unpredictable moods. He frowned as he thought of his brother. A day after he departed, he heard his brothers faint voice in his head, though he could barely make out a garbled request for him to turn back. He knew the spell he had cast to link their thoughts was nearly out of range, but he couldn't waste energy on heading back.

Now, after much effort, he saw the fabled red coast of the continent of Zordon. Once, mighty kingdoms had lived here, just like his home continent. Many centuries ago, the Dragon Lords had gathered together to create a marvel. They had pooled their massive life force and constructed a magical portal which linked the two far away places. It had been considered a wonder of the ancient world. However, one day, the other side of the gate closed mysteriously. They had heard no more from their dear friends, and could only wonder at what had happened.

Almost a century ago, Tenebris had flown over to see for himself at the behest of the Platinum Dragon Lord. He had enjoyed the company of the ruler of the continent; an enigmatic and friendly slime of great power who called herself Bukubukuchagama for about a year, before returning home. Buku, as she had requested he call her, had ruled with kindness, mercy, and paradoxical brutality towards her enemies.

Almost no hostile species were present during her reign, and the continent had been terraformed through unknown means to be fluffy and comfortable. Tenebris had been disturbed, but impressed. Her power was extraordinary, and Tenebris knew that if anyone could defeat that undead, it was her.

Finally, he drew near to the coast. He flapped his wings, and landed on the beach. It was made of a cherry red sand, almost blood red. In the water, strange amorphous shapes drifted. Trees of slender trunks adorned with strange puffs of vibrant color atop them scattered throughout the beach.

One of the amorphous shapes hurtled out of the water and latched on to Tenebris. It began making sucking motions, and Tenebris felt a slight tickle. After a seconds thought, he incinerated it in a brief flash of black plasma, and padded forward, gathering a familiar shroud of darkness around him.

He made a hole in the side of the mountain using his breath, and took his first rest on solid ground of almost a month. He closed his eyes and slipped into a deep sleep. While he dreamed, Ainz conquered the Holy Kingdom, seasons passed, children grew, humanity enjoyed prosperity, plans were hatched and abandoned before implementation, and trees grew. He slept for almost three more months, as a dragon of his age is wont to do.

Tenebris awoke. He heaved his bulk upward, easily ripping out the roots of vines and plants that had grown over him during his sleep. He shook himself, and hurled his dark body into the air. He looked around. He immediately realized he had slept for longer than he thought It was now blue and red dust storms swirled across the desert some distance away. Flashes of lightning briefly illuminated the ground beneath them. _What if I slept for five years or more? What if it's been a century, and Ainz Ooal Gown has already conquered everything?_ He looked at the growth of trees to assure himself, and luckily, it didn't look like it had been to long. However, it was still longer than he would have liked.

He flew for another day over the desert, over dry vistas and canyons of strange and bright colors. He started to despair of finding the life which once populated this area, when he spied a little shack tucked away in the side of the canyon. It was a hole dug into the side of the canyon, covered with wood planks on the inside, and protruding out into the open air.

From a mile away, his sharp eyes could see a withered old man sitting on a couch, with a younger man nearby cutting wood. Children ran about, though the older ones tended the farm. Inside the shack, a wisp of smoke came out. No, it wasn't right to call it a shack. It was a snug and well-built home, placed over the generations.

Tenebris angled his wings, and took a sharp dive. Dropping out of the blue, cloudless sky like a comet, he landed in between the farm and the house. Having a 30 meter dragon suddenly appear is frightening, but Tenebris knew that humans give truthful answers when scared.

He tucked in his wings, and opened his mouth, allowing wisps of flame to flicker along the edges.

"Humans. Take me to Bukubukuchagama, and I will reward you. If not, I will burn you and everything here to the ground."

He got right to the point.

The children shrieked and ran away, while the young man ran to his woman and tried to get her to run as well. She was frozen in terrified fascination, looking at Tenebris the way risk-lovers look at an approaching tornado. The withered old man hadn't moved, he just put down the wooden spoon he had been carving.

"Dragon. Your kind has not been seen here since I was a little boy. Why do you arrive here now?"

"I come seeking Bukubukuchagama. We require her assistance in the land across the sea."

"I'm afraid your wish cannot be granted, as Bukubukuchagama has ascended into heaven already. Three years ago. However, her child is still here. Almost as strong as she was, but twice as angry. I will guide you to her, if you leave my family alone."

Tenebris nodded.

"I accept your offer, and I will reward your family, as I promised."

He took a massive pawful of dirt and formed it into the rough shape of a man. He spit on it, used Wild felt a portion of his life force flow out of him. A single blue eye opened in the forehead of the golem, and it stood up. Tenebris instructed it.

"Obey this family's father and mother."

The golem nodded its earthen head, and rose to its full height of nearly three meters. Tenebris looked at the frozen family.

"This golem will protect and serve your family for as long as it is bound by my will."

The family was too scared to properly thank him, but the grandfather nodded.

"I will take you to the late Bukubukuchagama-sama's child. But, dragon, you must let me on your shoulders. This old man cannot walk all the way."

Tenebris was one of the few dragons who had no qualms about allowing insects to ride him, so he accepted. He stretched out a paw and grabbed the old man, placing him on his back.

"Ready?"

"Yes."

He leaped into the air, nearly causing the old man to fall off. Then, he was away.

The old man yelled with joy despite his mature age. Very few people have ever felt the joy riding dragonback gives. It fills the soul with power and self-confidence. Vigor returned to old bones, and withered eyes gazed happily over the broad black back of the first dragon to return in centuries.

Part 3: Demiurge

Demiurge watched as Albedo walked down the corridor to stand in front of the ornate double doors that opened into the throne room. Demiurge and the twins stood there, waiting for Cocytus, Shalltear and Sebas to arrive. They didn't need to wait long before the temperature in the room dropped twenty degrees, and Cocytus entered, his chill aura causing fog to appear indoors. Albedo and Demiurge discussed various possible aspects their master would reveal to them as they waited. The two of them had a betting game going on, though so far Demiurge was winning four to two, a fact which enraged Albedo. Sebas walked in after Cocytus, his posture perfect, his dignity ever-present. Following him was Shalltear, wearing a Victorian ballgown.

With the arrival of the last Guardian, the double doors swung upon. Ainz sat upon the throne, regarding them with blazing red eyes. Albedo shivered. Demiurge felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise in anticipation. Something about his gaze was darker, as if tainted, and it set their blood boiling. Although, all evils in the world were secondary to Ainz.

"My guardians! You have come here to ask me questions about the plans, and for this time only, I will deign to share my plan with you, to help you learn."

The guardians all dropped to a knee, and Albedo walked up to the throne to stand next to him before kneeling.

"Ainz-sama, we are honored you choose to bestow this honor upon us."

"Of course, Albedo. But do not expect it twice."

Albedo nodded in acceptance. Ainz leaned forward.

"I have many thoughts being considered within my skull, but last night I decided to commit them to paper. This paper is very valuable, and must be destroyed for security reasons after I read it."

He began reading of off a scroll which he held in his bony hand.

"The first, and most crucial step is to eliminate the Slane Theocracy. We have two ways of achieving this. The first is simple head-on assault. This is a fairly good plan, as we have a nearly guaranteed victory. However we will miss several opportunities down the line which I have foreseen, as well as promote the image of a ruthless undead, who kills millions of humans without a second thought. We require justification. The second, better idea is…"

Ainz went on and on, reading methodically from the script. The style of writing didn't sound familiar to Ainz's usual style, but Demiurge chalked it down to him revealing his whole brilliance, rather than fragments for the benefits of his lesser-minded subordinates. Indeed, the plan was brilliant. It elegantly tied together hundreds of variables, and had the comparative genius of 50 intelligent beings sitting in a room and discussing things. Demiurge strove to memorize everything that was said. He mentally reminded himself to personally ask Ainz about some of the things which he did not yet grasp.

Ainz's plan was essentially

Cut off trade routes.

Cause a plague by sacrificing demons from [Armageddon] and using [Soul-Bought Miracle]

Target cities with plague.

Abduct huge quantities of commoners to be farmed. It will be assumed they were taken by the plague, which will corrode and disintegrate the bodies of the victims.

When the dust clears, only the capital city will be left.

Offer to cure plague

When offer is refused, we can allow the plague to take the city.

This will allow us to abduct huge amounts of humans, while also giving us a good reputation. The land can later be used for many other things.

At the end of his speech, Ainz hinted that this tied into a many other later plans, which he didn't mention. It filled Demiurge with a burning curiosity as to the hidden machinations of his brilliant overlord.

But his curiosity could wait. What mattered now was preparing. The first preparation had been taken care of soon after their meeting with Ainz ended. Now, Demiurge stood on the 3rd floor of Nazarick, in a special area known as the Summoner's Circle. It was enchanted with permanent area-of-effect summoning boosts, and had many expensive modifiers for many types of summoning. The Supreme Beings had gone to great effort to secure a spot from which to procure their limitless hordes, which washed over the worlds as a tide does over the beach.

He walked into the middle of the circle and nodded. On the sides, Shalltear, Ainz, Mare, Aureole Omega, and one of the Area Guardians, Charynal, placed a hand onto one of the lines of a large pentagram. One by one, mana flowed down these lines towards Demiurge. Ainz's line glowed and shined with the amount of mana he was forcing down it, as he was providing nearly half of the mana. No one else had anywhere near enough. Demiurge raised his hands, and cast his unique class Super Tier Spell.

[Hosts of Hell]

His many evil aligned summoning buffs and commander bonuses kicked in, and a massive horde of level 40 demons started to appear. They crawled out of the earth, broke bindings, burst from other dimensions, or simply appeared. In no time, almost a thousand were present. Before his own mana ran out, Ainz raised a hand.

[Binding of Isaac]

Each of the demons was suddenly bound in glowing, rune inscribed chains. [Binding of Isaac] was a spell that bound all low level demons in a large area, regardless of number.

The demons didn't struggle against the binding, as Demiurges will pinned them in place, motionless. The [Binding of Isaac] did more than simply bind targets however, it also added massive sacrifice bonuses.

Finally, Demiurge prepared to do his last step.

[Soul-Bought Miracle: Sacrifice]

The demons screamed as their souls were ripped from their bodies. Their souls fled into one area, and gathered. A perfect sphere of glowing darkness slowly took shape as more souls arrived.

"Oh Miracle, hear my prayer!"

Unbeknownst to Demiurge, these lines only needed to spoken because the shitty devs thought it was cool.

"I wish for a plague to strike the neighboring kingdom of the Slane Theocracy! It will afflict silently, cause burns, and disintegrate the body into ash. It shall be cured by negative energy. Let it be unleashed!"

A swirl of black and red energy exploded out of the sphere, before coming back towards itself. Briefly gathering into a ball, it condensed before howling into the night, towards the Slane Theocracy.

 **Next chapter soon. Let me know what you think.**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 6 Part 1: Tenebris.

He landed upon a hill, covered with purple grass ending in tufts of white wool. The old man had been tired for the day of traveling, and requested that they land.

Over the days of their journey, Tenebris had grown to like the human, who had introduced himself as Jackson, son of Jack. Jackson was witty and charming, as well as wise, for a human. This, coupled with Tenebris's lack of hate (or love) for humans, caused an easy friendship to grow. It was the kind of friendship guys of a single worldview will achieve, traveling together.

Tenebris walked a pace after landing, before settling down. He would never deign to bow low enough for Jackson to get off with true ease, but he was alright with making it a little easier. Jackson grunted, and awkwardly maneuvered his old frame down the smooth side of Tenebris's body. He lowered himself like an old man on an untrustworthy ladder, and slowly stepped onto the ground. Tenebris watched as he sat on a rock erupting from the ground.

Soon after Jackson landed on the ground, he started looking for firewood. Tenebris stopped him.

"No need for that."

He willed Wild Magic to flow from him, and a campfire appeared on the ground. After a second, it flickered into life, a flame flickering and dancing as the sun sank below the horizon. In his youth, Tenebris had been a wild dragon, adventuring as far as he could. Once, he had flown so high his wings had no purchase, and he had only kept going with copious use of Wild Magic. In the end, there was no air, only a terrible pressure on his black body, threatening to rip scales of his sides. He had gazed down to the planet, far below, and seen what the wiser Dragon Lords had known: the earth was round. He had gazed, suspended in total silence, upon the world for what seemed like hours. Eventually, he dove back down into the atmosphere.

The experience had been so surreal he had forced his own children to make the climb, and gaze upon the chest of jewels that was the world. They had all thanked him in the end.

Sitting down, watching the stars kindle in the darkening sky awoke this slumbering spirit inside his frame, and he felt a sudden ancient kinship with Jackson. Perhaps this spurred him to make conversation.

"Jackson, tell me about this place. I have not been here for centuries."

"Oh, dragon-"

"Tenebris."

"-this continent is a beautiful place. Many species call it their home, chief among them the Elves, who rule from their many cities. Yet, it defies what I would expect. You see this grass? No natural defences, against no predators, and no seeds to spread. In fact, nothing here has seeds, yet they spread. Perhaps the work of the World Shaper."

"Who?"

"Us Charanites call Bukubukuchagama that."

"Why? And what are Charanites?"

"Ho ho, the mighty dragon asks questions of the puny old man!"

"Do not test my temper."

"Charan was a kingdom here, before the elves conquered the area. Us humans call ourselves by our ancestors name, as a sign of defiance. I am one of the last true living Charanites still here, the rest are simply pretenders. As for Bukubukuchagama's name, we call her that because she was a World Shaper. She arose one day, and started shaping the world. It was once a harsh and desolate land, with deserts, freezing tundras, and sharp crags and mountains. She smoothed the land, watered the deserts, heated the tundras, and introduced all manner of strange magical creatures. She possessed a powerful magic- she would be surrounded a glimmering rune-circle, and then the land would change. Other times, she would create plants after hours of focus. We would watch the plant slowly take shape and be scrapped many times before she was done with it. When asked, she said she was using something called 'EDEN.' (Kudos to Sharpuff from Godsfall for this idea- I so like it that I snuck it in. If you're reading this Sharpuff, I hope you don't mind.) Yes, dragon, she was truly a World Shaper. She changed our world, without warning or reason."

Tenebris had been listening attentively, as he desperately wanted to know more about this strange and logic defying continent.

"Do you denizens of this continent mind? Is Bukubukuchagama hated for playing god?"

"No. None can deny it is a safer and more comfortable place. Besides, who says she wasn't a god?"

"I do. I know of her type. She is a member of other dimensional beings of immense power known to us Dragon Lords as Players. Every hundred years or so, they leak into this dimension through unknown means, and upset the balance of power wildly. Some are benign, like Bukubukuchagama and the Six Gods, while others are violent conquerors like the Eight Greed Kings. They are a scourge."

It was Jackson's turn to listen with rapt attention. He had heard from his grandfather about the Worldgate, and had always been interested in the other continents. Hearing about one from a denizen was the fulfillment of a lifelong goal.

"And this Ainz Ooal Gown you mentioned earlier is a player?"

"Yes, though he is an unusual one. Most players are normal, aside from their immense power. Without it, they would be ordinary. However Ainz is incredibly intelligent, almost defying reality. He apparently considers thousands of variables before making decisions so in depth, they confound even the Deep Sight Dragon Lord, leaving us helpless before his mind, and his magic. Why do you look like that?"

Jacksons old face was screwed up in an expression which Tenebris, like all other human expressions, couldn't identify.

"I am thinking, dragon. I once heard that name, Ainz Ooal Gown, before. Something Bukubukuchagama once said."

"How do you know of Bukubukuchagama so well? Did a being of such power talk to random humans?"

"No, she did not. During her long life, she had many servants of all races who paid the World Shaper homage. I was one of these lucky few. She liked me especially, I think. though, her emotions were unpredictable."

"In what way?"

"She would change emotions rapidly. At the end, she was almost insane. She said she was lonely and abandoned. She would mutter about Peroroncino and her father, about… Yes! That's where I heard Ainz Ooal Gown. She said it was her guild, whatever that means. In any case, she was almost 300 when she died, such age is surely not good for anything. Perhaps-"

"Shut up. I am speaking. These players, they often have guilds which they arrive in the world inside of. Guilds are like groups of Players, I guess. My brother possesses one of the fabled Guild Weapons, which are extraordinarily powerful artifacts possessed by each Guild. Perhaps Bukubukuchagama was in Ainz's guild? He must have named it after himself"

"I don't know. After such rudeness, I shall be going to sleep now."

Before Tenebris could object, Jackson curled against Tenebris's hide. He claimed it was the best place to sleep, as the scales were warm and comfortable. Tenebris sighed, causing the pebbles to shake as the air rumbled. The old man fell asleep within minutes. He kept watch the whole night, staring at the stars, remembering his youth, and thinking on the new strangeness of this continent.

Jackson woke at the crack of dawn, as the rays of the morning sun fell across his aged face. He stretched, and hobbled onto his feet with the assistance of his cane. He looked at Tenebris expectingly. After a second's consideration, Tenebris inhaled, and exhaled. A mist came from his quivering nostrils and entered Jackson, seeping into his back. Immediately, the old man straightened, and walked with more zest. His joints popped and straightened, and he picked up his cane.

Unused to traveling, the old man had required Tenebris's help simply to keep going. This time, Tenebris took mercy, and lifted the old man onto his shoulders without making him climb himself. He leaped into the air, and continued the journey.

They talked during the flight, as always. However, they had scarce flown for 2 hours before a massive spire came into view. It looked half built, with parts exquisitely decorated while the other walls were blank.

"What is that?"

"That is one of Bukubukuchagama's projects. She had us hauling stone for miles, and she built this over seven years. Her child is the only one who lives here now, but I would land, dragon."

Tenebris growled, and descended in a lazy arc. As he came within 50 meters, parts of the tower glowed green, and lightning, fire, and ice began arcing out. Tenebris hurriedly exited the range after getting hit directly by a blast of fire.

"What's this!?"

"I'm starting to remember. Let me off."

Tenebris sat, and Jackson slid right off, hitting the ground with a thud, cracking his shin. He barely even registered the pain before Tenebris healed him impatiently, and then prodded him in the direction of the tower with a talon.

"Get going. I may like you, but I won't wait all day."

The old man muttered curses under his breath, and hobbled over towards the tower. No bolts targeted him, and when he came near to the base after an excruciatingly long ten minutes off speed-hobbling, parts of the building started rearranging themselves at lightning speed. A door formed after a couple moments of rearrangment of the tower, glowing with decorative runes. Parts of it clicked and whirred, rearranging themselves in a seemingly random order. Tenebris knew the whole thing was simply for show, but he was impressed despite himself.

As Jackson grew even closer, a section of the newly formed area parted, and a part of it extended. It appeared to be a stand resembling a lectern which orators would stand upon. However, it had many buttons in three neat rows on the top, and glowing pane of glass set into a strange metal. Jackson seemed to know what to do by memory, and the old man's gnarled hands pressed seven of the about twenty buttons on the lectern. To Tenebris's surprise, as he did so, strange stars resembling asterisks appeared seven times in the air. The asterisks glowed green, and the whole apparatus shifted some more times, before glowing green as well.

"Dragon, the defences are down. Come."

Tenebris walked tentatively into the range of the tower again, but it didn't fire. He walked through the lines of scorch marks, and entered the building with Jackson. The doors rotated and whirled shut behind them, closing with a definitive slam.

Part 2: Jackson

Jackson strained his eyes to see, but the room was pitch black. Suddenly, a bright light flared into existence next to him. The dragon next to him had created a shining beacon, hovering in the air. Jackson squinted against its radiance, shielding his eyes with a withered hand.

The beacon flew into the center of the room, and glowed even brighter, finally making the room visible. It hung there, shining with fiery light like a sun, bathing the walls in bright white light. Jackson got vertigo as he looked up and around due to the massive scale of the area.

The room was a throne room of completely random proportions. The ceiling stretched nearly two hundred feet into the air, and the ceiling had hundreds of multicolored lanterns hanging at different lengths on chains. Some even extended horizontally from the walls. However, none of the lanterns were lit.

Strips of brightly colored cloth stretched randomly from corner, to wall, to corner again. The walls themselves were littered with balconies, platforms, random shapes, holes, and they were splattered with bright colors. The corners of the room were rounded, and hundreds of thin spires of metal spun twisted from the walls, joining and melding as they went higher up. The end result was a visually baffling room which confused all who looked upon it. Suddenly, parts of the wall slowly opened, letting streams of light come through, which illuminated an unusual throne.

In the middle of the room was the La-Z-Boy. At least, Jackson thought, that was Bukubukuchagama's name for it. Sitting on the throne was the unmoving form of a pink slime.

"-Bukubukuchagama...!"

Jackson lurched forward onto one knee. The slime twisted, a motion which suggested grogginess. It suddenly shook itself and straightened.

Jackson started to realize all the small differences between this slime and his past master. Different hue. Different stature. Strange mannerisms, unlike the ones with which he had grown so familiar.

Disappointment and despair clutched at him, but he steeled himself.

"No. You're not Bukubukuchagama. My apologies, Kaiju-dono, for a second I allowed myself to hope."

"Hope. Everyone hopes I'm my mother. Even they did, but they soon saw otherwise. I'm not my mother, I can't help you, so leave me alone."

"I didn't mean hope that you were my master. I know you are not. We all miss her, as you well know."

"I miss her too. I always wanted to be her when I was older, now look at me."

The slimes voice was morose. Jackson straightened, his grandfatherly instincts roaring into focus.

"Get up, Kaiju-dono. The world still needs you, and there is no place for whiners."

"Why do you say Kaiju-dono? Only dono? You called my mother Buku-sama."

"Don't change the subject. You only have some of the respect I had for your mother."

Jackson had raised three generations of spoiled kids, and he started changing back into the mold of a stern grandfather, always present with a cane to beat ungrateful or stupid children with.

"Kaiju-dono, this is Tenebris, the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord. He has come for your assistance."

"Who cares? I can't help you. I won't."

Tenebris growled loud enough to shake the room. Motes of dust danced in the air, and the space hummed. He stepped forward.

"I once knew your mother, though poorly. However I know this: she had energy, dedication, and zest for living. If you want people to give you the respect they gaze Bukubukuchagama, you need to do more than sit on your tail and whine like a human."

Jackson looked at the dragon, feigning insult. He turned towards the slime sitting on the throne, and tried for a gentler tone.

"Kaiju-dono. Get off the throne, and come with us. You don't need to leave right away. Let's just go to the capital first. No doubt the people will rejoice to see you."

"They won't… but maybe it is time I got up. Watch your tone, Deep Darkness Dragon Lord. I may not be my mother but I still have enough power to kill you."

Tenebris's throat glowed black, but he stayed silent. Jackson spoke before things went downhill.

"Gather your things, Kaiju-dono, if you have any. Let us make haste."

Kaiju constricted her body, and then leapt forward, landing with a squelch in front of the waiting companions. She started to hop towards the entrance in an adorable manner. As she moved up and down, parts of her moved into the beams of light, before exiting them once more. Deceptively quickly, she arrived at the exit. The doors quickly undid themselves, slithering into the walls within seconds, leaving a wide open hole. She paused to twist her body as if looking at Jackson, and then hopped out. Jackson shrugged his hunched shoulders and hobbled out the door.

Outside, they say Kaiju with a strange pink and yellow helmet upon the top of her body, where a head would be. Adorned on it was the word _Buku-mobile._ Kaiju reached a tendril out, and it disappeared into nether space. When it returned, a strange object was in the tendril. It was a stick with a large suction cup attached to one end. She pulled her slimy bulk onto it, and it rose into the air. She looked proud, and turned towards her small audience.

"This is my Witches Plunger. It was given to me by my mother. Watch this!"

She suddenly zoomed forward, riding on the Witches Plunger, which shot stars and rainbows out the back as it flew. Kaiju simply left, heading in a straight line away from them. Soon, she was a speck in the distance

"Where's she going?"

"I don't know, dragon, but the capital is in that direction."

"Then we will follow her."

Tenebris picked Jackson up and put him on his back. Jackson had learned by now to hold for dear life as soon as he was placed on. Moments after he grabbed a spike protruding from the dragons back, he was jerked backwards as Tenebris catapulted into the air. Once he finally slowed down, Jackson eased into the warmth of his back.

Tenebris set his black eyes on the explosion of rainbows and stars in the distance.

Part 3: Elven King.

"My lord, may I request a second of your time?"

"Yes, Alluin."

The head councillor kneeled before the Starcrust Throne.

"My lord, Kaiju Buu has been sighted heading this way."

"Well? Do the standard procedure. Give her company, compliment her, and wait for her to leave. I know it's been awhile, but do the same thing we always do."

The councillor nodded, before speaking up.

"Yes, Your Majesty. However, she appears to leading a large dragon behind her. Is there a special procedure for this?"

The King thought for a moment, before shaking his head.

"As far as I know, no. Just greet her normally and try to divine her intentions. We can't afford to risk her anger, so be exceedingly courteous."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The councillor bowed low, his white coattails flapping, and exited the room in a flourish.

About an hour later, Kaiju Buu, daughter of the World Shaper, landed in the Central Courtyard, followed by the first dragon seen in a century.

 **A/N Hope you enjoyed! Leave a review if you have a criticism, I always take it in mind. Hail Ainz-sama!**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17 Part 1: Cardinal of Death.

The new Cardinal of Death walked through the crowded temple, glancing about with a strange mixture of compassion and disgust. The floor of the once holy place was littered with hundreds of cots, filled with the dying. When the plague had first swept the nation, the Cardinal of Death had been confident his sect could handle the administering to the burial rites, as they had always done in the past.

However, they hadn't even been able to deal with placing the ashes in urns for cremation fast enough. The amount of dead piled up far too quickly. He shuddered to imagine how the other five sects were dealing with the even larger amounts of the living. Administering burial rites is easier and far quicker than healing, so even though the other five sects all were caring for the living together, they were even more overwhelmed.

The Cardinal walked down a hallway at the end of the room of cots. He saw a cartload of bodies being hauled in through the front door as he entered the corridor. They were the soon to be dead, who the other five sects had sent to be given the rites. The bodies had to be brought over before they died because upon death, they completely dissolved. As the Cardinal watched, one of the occupants of a nearby bed's dissolved, his body turning to ash which gathered on the bed.

One of the nearby Priests quickly emptied the bed, shaking the ash into a bucket, before casting [Clean] on the linen sheets.

All around him, people slowly dissolved into dust, the material of what was once limbs floating off of their flesh and into the wind. A frantic stream of people came in and out of the building with buckets of ash clutched in their hands. Some were family members, some were friends, others were simply giving decency to the dead.

The Cardinal was filled with pride at the unity of his people, and their kindness towards other humans, even strangers they had never met. _Of course, as a godly people, it is right that we should act in this way. Only through unity can we beat back the unholy tide of Demihumans._

He finally reached the end of the hallway, and arrived in front of a decorated door, with his name enameled onto it.

 **Aras Uvaxar, Cardinal of Death**

He opened the door, and walked into his office. On top of the pile was a sealed envelope, with the sigil of the Six Cardinals in the wax. He opened it, and looked at the contents. Inside was a note from the new Cardinal of Life, his brother, Varaz Uvaxar.

 _Brother-_

 _I hope this note finds you unafflicted by this horrible plague, and in good health and spirit. I am always hoping you are still alive, so we can move into a brighter future together. Now, as to the real reason I have note is a summons to the Chamber of the Gods tonight- we have moved up the time of the ritual too tonight. Be there at 5:00 P.M., and bring your highest level priests to accompany you, as we will need the mana. You know what to do._

 _-Varaz_

Aras read the note once more, before folding it into a neat square, which he placed in the pocket of his robes. Aras checked his Timekeeper, a rare magical item which told the time. It was 4:30. The Cardinal realized he had to hurry if he was to avoid being late, and he quickly got up and hurried out of his office.

Ten minutes later, he arrived in front of the gates of the Chamber. Three members of the Black Scripture stood in front of the door: Beaumarchais, wielding a chain which slithered around his legs like a living snake, Time Turbulence, who simply stood and waited, and One Man Army, who was playing with a Summoners Ring in his fingers. They all saluted when they saw Aras, and stepped aside to let him through.

The gates opened from within, allowing Aras and his retinue of priests to step inside the underground cathedral.

The Chamber of the Gods was a fallback point, a holy temple of amazing potency built during the Crusade in case the humans were overrun. In its center, was an area created by the Six Gods which allowed the highest tier spells ever cast by humans to be cast. It was here that Beaumarchais was revived after the vampire incident, and Dominion Authority was summoned.

Aras stepped forward, and noticed that all of his comrades were already present. He nodded his head in recognition, and they nodded in return.

"Seeing as you are here, Aras, we can start the ritual."

"Of course, Varaz."

The ritual circle was a six ringed circle similar to an archery target. Each of the rings had runes etched along it, and several runic circles enameled inside the rings at various points. The circle allowed 30 7th Tier spells to be cast, which could be chosen by arranging the circles differently. So far, only three spells had ever been cast. Tonight would be the fourth. The reason so few had been cast was because although the circle allowed these spells to be cast, they still required massive amounts of mana.

Each of the Cardinals stood inside the rings, and their Priests also stood on circles. They all cracked their shoulders and did various things to warm up. A nearby soldier began counting down. When he reached zero, each person cast [Stream of Mana] into the center. Those present were nearly everyone in the entire country capable of this 4th tier spell. Although there were only twenty or so people total, it was still more than they had possessed in the past.

The multicolored streams whipped towards the center of the circle, playing back and forth over the growing sphere of power there as the 7th tier spell was powered up. One of the Priests gave the last of his mana and collapsed to the floor, wheezing. The other priests did soon after, followed by the Cardinals of Earth, Air, and Fire. Aras, Varaz, and Ibin stood, still pouring the light into the center of the circle.

Aras felt the last of his mana disappear, and he was overcome with weariness that suddenly overpowered his adrenaline. He collapsed, the last of his strength draining out of his body. Ibin, the Cardinal of Water, finally fell to his knees as well. The spell was at 98 percent. 99. If they failed now, all the mana would be wasted. 100 percent! The last man standing, Varaz, allowed himself to fall to his knees.

At their feet, light flowed toward the center of the circle. The assembled Magic Casters watched as one by one, seven runic circles appeared and assembled themselves. They gave a hoarse shout of joy as the seventh circle appeared. It fit itself in its place with a dull thud like a cog sliding into position.

[Purify Ground]

The spell suddenly created a bright sphere of white light, unlike the multicolored ball of mana that had occupied the space moments prior. The light gathered, and then exploded, causing a gentle wave to expand through the walls of the room. Those gathered underground could not see the results, so they could only hope it worked.

Outside, in the Temple of Death, hundreds of people suddenly gasped as their plague afflicted parts burnt with green flames that caused no pain. However, the flesh that was burnt away did not reappear, causing many people to lose limbs entirely.

Around the city, a wave spread, causing green flames to sprout up. Everywhere the flames appeared, the plague was burnt out of existence. Finally, a glowing circle settled around the city, as the entire city was covered in the field effect spell. Wisps of plague burnt green as they came into contact with the edge of the circle, and then retreated as if conscious.

Small bits of fog which were pockets of plague littered the surrounding countryside, visible from the Tower of Observation. Villages of people still existed in that countryside, untouched by the plague, but for the most part, the country was laid low. Only those who had escaped to the capital had survived.

The citizens let out a cheer at the sudden banishment of the plague. They went right up to the line in the ground where the spell ended, and watched the plague slowly moving across the land. Some were confident enough to reach past the circle, and make mocking gestures at the swirling plague outside.

Though they may have lost their army, most of their population, and were stranded in hostile territory with no hope of receiving more food, the people felt the first sense of safety they had since the plague struck.

Part 2: Emperor Jircniv

Emperor Rune Farlord El-Nix Jircniv reclined into his bath. The water was warmed by [Heat] spells, causing it to have a constant and pleasant temperature. He sighed, and sunk deep enough that only his violet eyes were above the water. Jircniv had a massive amount of work on his plate almost every day, and he valued his time spent relaxing more than ever before.

He no longer spent his days fruitlessly attempting to find ways out of his vassalization- indeed he had accepted that the Sorcerer King would never leave a loose string behind. However, he still had a massive management load on his plate. Almost a month ago, Ainz Ooal Gown had requested his country handle the building of a new city next to a river in the middle of the Katze Plains.

Jircniv had thought about it for days, desperately attempting to figure out the underlying reasons, and finally concluded that it was part of a plan to eventually merge the Empire and the Re-Estize Kingdom. The Sorcerer King had told him his requirements, such as the amount of people, this amount of shops, and so forth, but he had not provided anything more than that. However, he had lent nearly three thousand skeletons as a workforce, and about forty dwarves to oversee the opperation.

Jircniv had checked out the city's progress a week ago, and he had been amazed. Streets for miles had been laid out in perfect grids on both sides of the city in only a month. _I suppose untiring labor is as useful as the Sorcerer King suggested._

On top of the city, Jircniv had needed to put down several rebellions in small towns. That had been difficult, as he couldn't kill them with a few Death Knights like he had for an invading Beastmen force which assumed a recently vassalized nation would be weak. He had needed every ounce of his charisma and talent to convince the leaders to stand down. He had quietly arranged for the assassination of the more stubborn leaders that he could not sway.

The Sorcerer King had suggested, in an offhand way during one of their meetings, that he ought to convince a subordinate of his own to infiltrate the rebels, and then challenge the most honorable rebel leader to a duel. He had said that he could then have his subordinate acquiesce to Jircniv's proposal. Jircniv had been astounded at the elegance of the solution, which so far had worked well.

Jircniv promised himself he would stop musing over the events of his busy empire, and simply enjoy the bath. He closed his eyes, and leaned back against the warm marble. Two servants were in the room, waiting with a towel, but they stayed silent. Jircniv fell eventually asleep, allowing his tired mind to rest, confident that his servants wouldn't let him drown.

He was awoken scarce minutes later by the door opening. A servant whispered to another that his Magister of Defence, Armanius Pauldrin was waiting for Jircniv. His servants respectfully woke him from his bath.

Jircniv's servants quickly dressed him in the royal robes. At the snap of Jircniv's fingers, a crown was placed on his golden hair. He nodded that he was ready to see the Minister, and waited.

He didn't need to wait long, as Armanius walked in seconds later, and bowed low before Jircniv, who was sitting at a table in a room nearby to the bathhouse. The room had been constructed exactly for this purpose.

"Hello, Minister Pauldrin."

"Greetings, Emperor Jircniv-sama."

"Why have you come here today?"

"My lord, recently a strange sailing vessel appeared off of our coasts. It is far larger than any kind of ship we currently possess, and has an unusual design. The people onboard claim to be from another continent. With them is an emissary from 'Kaiju Buu,' an important person from their home. They are accompanied by the legendary Deep Darkness Dragon Lord. I would suggest that Your Majesty leaves the city until the danger has been assessed."

"No, an Emperor leads from the front. I will personally go and attempt to determine their true identities and their threat. Also, I have always been curious about the Deep Darkness Dragon Lords appearance."

Jircniv thought quickly as his agile mind thought of various problems and solutions, ways to deal with a possible threat of such power. However, he was not truly invested, as he was backed by the certainty that no harm could come to his country as long as he was backed by the Sorcerer King.

" Assemble the Four Knights, Fluder Paradyne, at least ten high ranking mages capable of 4th Tier magic, and thirty distinguished soldiers. Then, arrange a meeting with them as soon as all is made ready."

The Magister bowed.

"Paradyne, My lord? Is he not a traitor?"

"He will not betray me in this, and his magic may be needed."

"Very well, my lord."

He left the room. Jircniv followed shortly after, heading to the Royal Throne Room, where he would meet with the emissary. When he arrived, Baziwood was waiting for him. The burly man nodded his head, causing his ponytail to nod.

"Emperor Jircniv-dono."

"Baziwood."

Jircniv walked up the throne, and then sat in a graceful and practiced movement. Ten minutes later, all of his requests were fulfilled. Soldiers and mages watched from all parts of the room, and scribes stood ready to write down every spoken word.

The door opened, and the emissary swept in. It was an elf dressed in strange and flowing garments made of dyed silk. The emissary walked with measured steps to the center of the Throne Room, and bowed before Jircniv.

"Emperor Jircniv-dono. My name is Aubrien Maximilian. I am a native of the continent of Zordon, which is the next continent over."

"I have not heard about the existence of other continents, how can we be sure that you aren't attempting to deceive me? Truly, an emissary from another continent would be the wonder of this Empire if you speak true."

"Your Majesty, I have the word of the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord to back me up. He and the other Dragon Lords are familiar with out continent, and indeed it was he who fetched me here, to your bleak and colorless land."

One of the Nobles hissed in outrage.

"An insult!"

Jircniv held up a hand.

"I would like to here from this fabled Deep Darkness Dragon Lord, before I make any decision on the matter."

"Of course, Your Eloquence."

"Your Eloquence?"

"Forgive me, it is simply the title my people use to our kings. Your Majesty, the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord is waiting outside at your pleasure."

The emissary corrected their own mistake flawlessly, exuding the air of a practiced politician.

"At my pleasure? That will be a first from a dragon. Come, let us go see what he has to say. If he meant to kill us, he could probably have done so already."

Jircniv addressed his court, and when satisfied they agreed with him, stood up from his throne. He allowed himself to be escorted into the courtyard, where he saw the massive black shape of a waiting dragon.

Part 3: Ainz

"Pardon? Could you repeat that, Demiurge?"

"Of course, Ainz-sama. We have received a missive from the Baharuth Empire regarding events recently taking place there. Apparently they have been visited by an emissary from another continent and a Dragon Lord, who apparently vouches for their legitimacy. iIndeed, their ship is unlike any native to this continent, suggesting they are telling the truth."

"Thank you. We must find this emissary and invite them for a dinner. The existence of another continent interests me."

"Yes of course, this continent is almost conquered after all. Have you set your eyes on the rest of the world?"

Demiurge's pupils flared with red light, and his expression turned eager. Ainz was scared by that expression and hastily backtracked.

"Ah, no, Demiurge. Maybe someday soon. For now, I just want to know more about the other places in this world. Good information is the first step to victory, as Punitto Moe-san used to say."

Demiurge looked disappointed, and held his tongue while mentally filing away another bit of wisdom from a Supreme Being to remember. He bowed in place towards Ainz, and continued his report.

"Additionally, the Slane Theocracy has somehow cast a 7th Tier spell around their capital, which is repelling the plague. It appears to be the field effect spell [Purify Ground]. I have a plan to disrupt the spell, but I am interested in your opinion."

Ainz felt a sudden muted twinge of compassion for the embattled Slane Theocracy.

"No, leave them. I will deal with them at a later time."

"If that is your desire. Well, that completes my intelligence report. Do you want me to arrange a meeting with this emissary?"

"Yes, Demiurge. As soon as possible."

"It shall be done."

Demiurge opened the door, and let himself out. His tail slithered through the door a pace after him, and then the door shut, blocking Ainz's view.

Ainz shuffled through some papers on his desk, but none were marked with even medium priority status. He judged that nothing required his attention, and stood up. His clothing rippled briefly, shaking the wrinkles out. Ainz began muttering to himself.

"What should I do now? Perhaps visit Carne Village? It has been awhile. However, as much I want to see how it's doing, I have more urgent things to deal with. Aura and Mare have finished preparations for the Dark Elves; should I check that out? I guess I could go out as Momon to escort the emissary here. Check out who he is from the cover of being a great hero. How do I explain leaving to the Guardians?"

He scratched a bony chin in thought. A few solutions whizzed through his mind, before being banished back to the realm of imagination. Finally he arrived at one that might work, an excuse he found himself having to use less and less, but which never failed.

"I'll simply tell them I have a plan cooking up. Who do I tell first?"

He thought about it for a second. _Albedo? She would cause too many issues, she would probably make me leave with all of Nazarick behind_ me. Ainz grimaced at the thought. _Aura and Mare? They wouldn't do anything with the information. Maybe Cocytus? No, same problem. Sebas is busy getting information. I guess that leaves Demiurge._

[Message]

"Demiurge."

"Ainz-sama!"

"I thought I should alert you that I will be escorting the emissary back to Nazarick myself, as Pandora's Actor. Before you ask, no, I don't need an escort, and yes, it is for a plan coming further down the line."

He heard choked sounds of awe.

"Who else but you could predict my thoughts so accurately?!"

Ainz smiled internally. _It's only because you ask me that every time I leave the Great Tomb._

"You flatter me, Demiurge. In any case, I will be heading out soon."

"Of course, Ainz-sama."

Ainz ended the message and twisted the ring on his finger. He reappeared on the 5th Floor of the Tomb, outside the Frozen Prison. Ainz could go no further due to teleportation defences, so he was forced to walk into Nigredo's domain on foot. He picked up a baby in an alcove nearby. In front of him, Nigredo sat, rocking a cradle. She looked at Ainz, eyes crazed and bloodred. However, before her terrifying cycle could even start, Ainz walked forward and handed her the baby.

"Here is your baby"

"My baby, my baby, my baby! Oh, it's all right now. … Hello Ainz-sama. How can I help you today?"

"I was wondering if you could tell me where the emissary from the other continent is now, I need to teleport to him."

"Of course, give me a second."

[Widen Search] [Immunity Pierce: Maximize] [Range Detect] [Locate Species] [Crystal Mirror]

A crystal mirror appeared, showing the emissary. He was in the Throne Room of the Baharuth Empire, dressed in white clothes of a strange make. He was gesturing gracefully at a map of a strange land laid out on a table.

"He is in the Baharuth Empire, discussing politics with the Blood Emperor."

"Thank you, Nigredo. Also, could you check if there are any monsters of strength between here and where he is, along the route he would take when I bring him back."

"Of course."

Nigredo checked around for a couple minutes before finishing.

"There are no monsters of strength on that path."

Ainz was a little disappointed. He had hoped to showcase Momon's strength in front of the emissary, but it was alright if it didn't happen. _I guess I will telepor- No, I can't reveal the knowledge of such long range teleportation._

Nigredo looked at him, head tilted.

"You seem disappointed, Ainz-sama. I may not be the strongest Guardian, but I would labor day and night to remove the cause of this disappointment."

"Ah, it's nothing. Thank you, Nigredo, but I will be going now."

"Of course. Thank you for visiting me, Ainz-sama."

Part 4: Demiurge

Demiurge walked along the Pilgrim's Path on the 5th Floor. On either side of him, high level demons strode, melting the ice underfoot with their flames. The ice immediately refroze behind them, causing clear icy footprints to follow behind the party, revealing where they were to any observer. However, Demiurge was among allies, so there was no need for stealth.

He approached the door of the Frozen Prison, a large tunnel in the ice, blocked by a massive enchanted slab of snow and ice. As Demiurge grew near, the door melted. Streams of water flowed down all around the path, gathering into puddles which bubbled and hissed. Demiurge and co. walked through the doorframe and into the icy tunnel. Behind them, the water reflowed into a solid slab, and froze solid instantly.

Minutes later, Demiurge arrived at Nigredo's domain. He looked at the demons.

"Wait here."

"Yes, Demiurge-sama."

The two demons stood still, and waited. Satisfied, Demiurge walked forward. He picked up a baby from the wall without breaking his stride, and opened up the door. He strode forward and handed Nigredo her baby. Like all the guardians, he had learned to deliver the baby without letting her start her cycle from Ainz during one of the strategy meetings.

"Here is your baby."

"My baby, my baby, my baby! Oh, it's all right now. … Hello Demiurge. How can I help you?"

"Ainz-sama was just here, correct?"

"Yes, he was. Why do you ask?"

"As his loyal servant, I judge it is my responsibility to do all I can to understand his plans. Thus, when I have time, I find it useful to discuss his thoughts with people who have recently talked to him."

"I see. I suppose you will be wanting to know what he asked for?"

"Yes."

"He requested the location of the emissary from the other continent. Additionally, he wanted to know if there were any strong monsters along the path from Arwintar (Baharuth Empire Capital) to Nazarick. When I informed him that is not the case, he appeared disappointed."

"Hmmmm. Perhaps he is hoping to show his strength to the emissary. But this is Ainz-sama we are talking about, surely his plan is more in depth. Perhaps… no. Nigredo, thank you for your time. Sorry to be here and gone so quickly, but I must go."

"It's all right, Demiurge. I'm glad for even a little company."

Demiurge nodded sympathetically, and prepared to leave. His demons followed him as he left the tunnel and headed into the arctic wasteland. When he was far enough from the prisons defenses, he teleported away.

He arrived on the 7th Floor, in front of the Blazing Temple. He walked forward, leaving his demons behind as he entered. Demiurge paced around the room, hands held elegantly behind his back as he thought. _Ainz-sama must have some plan which requires a monster of some strength. I could very well summon one for him. However, why wouldn't he tell me himself. In conclusion, it's too risky. I could proceed with my other plan for now._ He stood straight, ruminations complete.

 _I cannot help Ainz-sama without forewarned knowledge, so I must only act where I am certain of success. Besides, Ainz-sama is far more capable than I could ever be._

Satisfied he had made the correct choice, Demiurge busied himself with the thousands of tasks which demanded his attention through the day. _I am excited to see what the greatest mind in Nazarick will procure._

 **Sorry for the long wait. Hope you enjoyed. Also, would anyone be interested in a fic of Ainz being transported to the real world in the 22nd century and attempting to conquer it or something? Hail Ainz-sama!**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18 Part 1: Ainz

Ainz had invited the emissary to dinner in Nazarick three days ago. Today was the day he would arrive. Ainz had spent almost an hour fretting over the event, determined that the new continent would have an awe-inspiring first impression of the home he had labored to build for so long. Death Knights carried tables, banners were strewn, and food was cooked.

Finally, Ainz received word from Yuri Alpha that the emissary and his small retinue were ready and waiting. The last of the preparations had been completed by then, so he had ushered the emissary in.

Ainz was sitting on his throne, filled with majestic grandeur and regal poise. He sat there, looking at the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown when Albedo leaned toward him.

"Ainz-sama. The emissary is at the log house portal. Shall I have him let in?"

"Ah, thank you Albedo. Of course."

Albedo bowed, exposing her cleavage elegantly, and cast [Message]. Seconds later, the air rippled as a [Gate] appeared. The emissary stumbled out, and fell to his knees, looking around in wonder.

Ainz had decided to teleport him in to maximize the shock value. Indeed, he was proud to see the effect it was having on his guest. The emissary looked up with a strange expression on his angular elven face. Ainz was confused, as the expression looked more worshipful than awestruck.

The emissary spoke up.

"Gown-dono… what is this? How are they here? Who ARE you?"

Albedo clenched her delicate fists at the disrespectful tone, but she quieted as Ainz touched her shoulder.

"Pardon me, emissary-dono? I am aware of my domains magnificence, but I have never seen it have this effect before."

The emissary didn't respond, simply looking around and muttering.

"It's the same. It's all exactly the same. What's going on?"

The emissary seemed totally divest of the typical elven dignity and composure. Ainz stood up in a regal gesture, thrusting his staff to the side. He used a practiced performance he had developed recently.

"Seize your babbling. Give me a straight answer right now!"

Ainz's voice thundered, and he exuded his [Aura of Despair: 1] at the same time. Because of the Staff's augmentations, everyone in the room was crushed to the floor by a heavy weight, instantly causing silence. Ainz had decided to use his aura to add effect to his words, he had simply forgotten about the effect on his guardians.

The elf stopped moving immediately, as did everything in the room. He heard a whisper from Shalltear, next to him.

"Ainz-sama has once again revealed his fearsome true power…!"

She let out a small moan, and started breathing heavily. Ainz did his best to ignore her, and addressed the emissary, this time with a gentler tone.

"Emissary-dono. What are you talking about."

The emissary's attention had begun to wander as soon as Ainz's aura lessened, but he gathered himself. Ainz noted that he seemed to have no fear of anyone in the room, or even Ainz himself.

"Gown-dono. I am sorry, it's just… I don't know how to-. Okay. Forgive me, Gown-dono, but I must tell you some personal information for this to make sense. Forgive my imposition."

"There is no imposition. Go ahead."

The emissary finally gathered himself as he remembered his duty to his host.

"On my continent, there was once a figure of great power we call the World Shaper. She was a slime who terraformed our entire continent to be pink, fluffy, beautiful, and harmless. Thus, the World Shaper. She was worshipped by my people, who she raised from the dust, and she took some of us as servants as a sign of fealty. I was chosen for this office nearly 180 years ago. The World Shaper lived in a place identical to this. It was a place of great holiness for us. It was destroyed wh-"

"Emissary-dono! Wait a minute. Tell me about this World Shaper first."

"Of course, Gown-dono. The World Shaper was a slime about waist-high made of a strange pink material. She was incredibly durable, and almost all weapons bounced off of her. She appeared mysteriously, in an abode identical to this one. All of those beings arrayed behind you, Gown-dono, were present there as well. Her favorites were the elves, Aura and Mare. She called them her children."

Aura and Mare hadn't made the connection yet, so they bristled at the implication that anyone called them their children. The audacity to claim maternity when their only true mother was Bukubu… suddenly their features twisted.

Ainz, Demiurge, and Albedo had already figured it out. Albedo and Demiurge had unlocked the mystery due to the virtue of their extreme intelligence , while AInz had solved it by his extreme familiarity with his guildmates. But he had to be sure.

"Honored emissary-dono. One last question. Did this World Shaper have a name?"

Tension in the room shot through the roof. Everyone held their breath as the emissary opened his mouth. Demiurge leaned forward. Aura grabbed Mare's hand. Cocytus's antennae twitched.

"Yes, though it was only spoken by her Guardians. Bukubukuchagama-sama was that beings honorable name!"

Every guardian gasped, even those who had known already. Hearing the name be spoken aloud filled them with a strange feeling, and their faces were alight with the prospect of meeting another Supreme Being. Aura and Mare jumped up and down, barely containing shouts of joy.

"Emissary-dono, you must arrange for us to visit her immediately. We will set out as soon as possible. Oh I can-"

"Gown-dono."

"Hmm?"

"How well did you know the World Shaper? You seem very familiar with her."

"Bukubukuchagama and I were very close. I considered her sibling to be my brother, and I went on many adventures with her. I can't wait to see her again!"

The guardians were to excited at the prospect of meeting Bukubukuchagama to notice how giddy and childlike he was. However, the emissary stood up with a somber expression on his face.

"Gown-dono. I don't know how to say this exactly, but Bukubukuchagama is dead. Our beloved master left us nearly three years ago. Only Kaiju Buu remains of her."

Ainz stopped moving. Aura and Mare paused in their celebrations. Ainz slowly looked towards the waiting emissary.

"I'm sorry? Could you say that again?"

"Your Majesty. The World Shaper and all who came from this wonderful Tomb have left the world three years ago."

Ainz's shoulders slumped. He seemed to lose all enthusiasm for anything, and he sunk into his chair. Meanwhile. Aura and Mare were still frozen. Aura suddenly screamed a childish shout of pure rage and frustration. In a flash of light, her whip shot towards the emissary, seeking to eliminate the cause of her pain.

However, one person was fairly unfazed, a person who held Ainz-sama in the highest regard, over her own creator. It was natural she would assume the emissary would be useful, so when she saw Aura's whip streaking forward, it was a simple matter to leap forward and catch it. So she did.

Ainz blinked. The whip which had been streaking forward, was wound tightly around Albedo's porcelain arm. The emissary staggered and fell to one knee at the brush with death. He looked up at Albedo.

"You-you saved my life!"

She glanced down at him like one does at a fly.

"You may be useful to Ainz-sama, worm."

The emissary smiled.

"You sound just like her. Albedo, I mean. The other one."

Albedo's looked briefly confused, but she didn't have long to think about it before she turned on instinct. Aura was flying towards the emissary, hands outstretched. Albedo snatched her out of the air, and slapped her into the ground.

Before she could move, Ainz spoke up.

"Aura!"

Aura froze, tears streaking her face.

"Collect yourself!"

To his internal horror, Ainz's grief was already lowered to 'acceptable levels' by his emotional inhibitor, leaving him free to think while others were still saddened. Most of the guardians were recovering, as it wasn't their Creator. However, Aura and Mare were plainly incredibly distraught.

Ainz knew that simply telling them to calm down wouldn't work, so he adopted a more tactical approach. He tried to make his deep voice sound sound gentle.

"Aura, if we keep him alive, we can visit his continent. I may be able to revive Bukubukuchagama. If not we can at least pay our respects. But only if you behave!"

Aura thought about it. Slowly, her expression of rage died, replaced by hopeless sadness. She sniffled.

"Yesh, Ainsz-shama. I'm sorry, I'll behave."

She wiped her nose, and sat back down next to Mare, who was crying quietly. Ainz looked toward the emissary.

"Emissary-dono. I am sorry, but we will be discussing things privately for a while. Sixth, escort him into a room for a night."

Sixth bowed low, and nodded toward the emissary.

"Please, follow me."

She led him out of the Throne Room, to be guided to his new bed.

Once he saw that she had left, Ainz steepled his bony fingers, and rubbed his scalp in a very human gesture.

"Demiurge, Albedo. Thoughts?"

Albedo nodded, and stood forward.

"I believe it is of tantamount importance that we leave for this other continent as soon as possible. We must attempt to bring Bukubukuchagama back. It is our duty as NPC's."

"Very good reasoning. Demiurge?"

"I agree with Albedo. Additionally, I think this alternate Nazarick bears investigation. If it is still operational, we can double our power in all aspects."

"Anyone else?"

Mare stood forward, with a few tears trickling from his eyes.

"I-I think that we should go be-because I really want to see my creator."

Mare hadn't offered any real reasons, yet all were moved by his childlike longing, and it swayed all of their hearts. Ainz stood up and walked forward, scooping Mare into his arms.

"Of course, Mare. It shall be done to bring a smile back to your cute face."

Mare sniffled, and nodded. There were no other objections, so Ainz called the meeting over.

Ainz retreated to his room to think it over. His thoughts turned darker as he sat on his bed. _To think that Bukubuku was here the whole time! If I had searched for her as soon as I arrived I would have been with her in her last days. Speaking of that, how did she die? Do slimes age? No, because she is-was a heteromorph. Maybe she was killed? I must avenge her if that's the case._ His thoughts cycled endlessly from wondering about her to blaming himself for failing to find her. When morning came at last, Ainz-sama had only come up with three coherent thoughts. One, that he needed to leave immediately. Two, that he needed to alert the people he would be leaving. Three, that it's possible his friends were on other continents. He would devote resources to finding them until he had covered the whole world in eyes.

Another one of Ainz's friends would never pass from this world, this he swore to himself as he exited the room. He would do everything in his power to prevent it.

 **Sorry for the short chapter. Don't worry, the next one will be longer. Hail Ainz-sama. Also, I'll start working on the 22nd century fanfic, as I have recieved enough affirmative answers.**


	19. Chapter 19

Part 1: Ainz

Ainz walked to the edge of the wooden pier, and looked up. Next to him, the strange elven ship stretched high into the sky. It was shaped like a giant top, with an underwater hull stretching behind it. The main body of the ship was suspended high above the water in a sphere which had masts protruding from it at various angles.

Standing beside him was the emissary, waiting in a graceful position.

"Emissary-dono, when are you going to depart?"

"We had hoped to leave in an hour, but three of our sails are broken, so we may have to leave tomorrow instead."

"Is there any way to move that up? The sooner we arrive, the better."

"Well, Your Majesty, if I may, I'm sure that you are capable of providing and replacing sails, are you not?"

Ainz nodded, and was struck by an idea leading off of that chain of thought.

"Emissary-dono, I will fix your ship. However, I do not think I will travel on it. Among my many possessions is a ship that travels incredibly quickly. I think you can see why I would rather travel upon it.

"Indeed, I can. But how will you navigate to our continent?"

"You will also be aboard that ship, to navigate for us."

"Your Majesty, I am an ambassador, not a navigator."

"Then take your ship's navigator alongside yourself."

"Very well."

The two of them talked for another minute or two before the emissary entered his ship through a long ramp which descended from inside the sphere. Minute later, he returned with another elf, presumably the navigator at his side.

"Gown-dono, this is the Navigator, a dear friend of mine. But where is your ship?"

"Watch and see."

[Summon Fortress: Flying Dutchman]

Suddenly, the water in front of them started to boil with gases and fumes. A tall and jagged mast rose out of the water, and the sky gathered into a funnel that met the mast. More of the ship was revealed. It was a three masted galleon, but most of the masts were broken. Sails were torn and ripped, and the oars were broken. Cannons jutted from the sides, covered in algae, and skeleton sailors wandered over the ship.

A long plank covered in splinters fell onto the dock, and a strange squid like undead walked off, adorned in captain's silk. He had a cutlass, a tricorn hat, and a pistol. Rotting tentacles came from a face which was half decayed and half made of squid-tissue.

"Summoner, I am Davy Jones, at yer service. How may I help yer?"

"Davy Jones, you will make room for myself, two dark elves, and two elves to be on your ship."

Beside him, the emissary gulped.

"Your Majesty, are you sure this is safe? My people are not especially scared of the undead, but they are still very dangerous. Perhaps we should take the slowed, safer way?"

"You seem to be forgetting that I, myself am undead."

"Oh-ahm, well, Your Majesty, I didn't mean to cause insult! You don't act like the undead, it's easy to forget"

"It's alright. Additionally, I summoned them, so they are absolutely bound to my will. They will not harm you."

The emissary looked extremely doubtful.

"Very well."

About forty minutes later, Ainz, Aura, Mare, the Navigator, and the emissary were all aboard. Ainz walked over to Davy Jones.

"Captain. Release the ropes and set off."

"Summoner-sama, where do yer want me to set the course?"

The Navigator walked up to him, half hiding behind Ainz.

"I will guide you."

"Listen to him, and follow his directions. He is the only one who knows how to reach our destination."

Davy Jones nodded, and gave a strange shout through his tentacles. The tentacles whirled and snapped, creating a strange cacophony of clicks and slaps. It sounded like gibberish to Ainz and his companions, but the skeleton crew seemed to understand. They began unfurling sails and tightening ropes which sagged with rot.

The ship became a whirlwind of motion, with bony sailors scurrying across the deck and masts, swinging skillfully off ropes helf in decaying hands. Davy Jones stood in the middle, tattered cloak flapping in a nonexistent wind, directing the crew and yelling in his strange click language.

The sails filled, blowing forward until they came taught. The whole ship began to glow with a deathly light which wrapped around the sails and ropes. The two elves yelped in fright. Even though they had not been raised to fear the undead like the humans had been, they were still scared by supernatural events of such scale.

Once all of the sails had filled, the ship lurched out of the dock. Behind it, the wake glowed green, and a ghostly vapor emanated from the docks. Ghostly hands clutched at the ship, and storm clouds darkened over head. Wraiths glowing green circled the ship wailing and screeching. One by one, the Wraiths dove forward into a crystal held in the figurehead. As each Wraith disappeared into the orb, it glowed brighter and brighter. Several runic circles appeared in a straight line from the orb, which was now glowing a vibrant radiation green.

Ainz remembered the devs introducing the ship into the game. One of the devs, Treeform, had loved a book about Ghost Ships, and had gone overboard on the design to express his love. He had made it into the only useful sea travel vehicle, since all others were too slow to be effective. The only real use for these was exploring the seas. The design had received accolades, though it had caused some lag when it went into action.

Ainz was jerked out of his ruminations by the final wraith diving into orb. Ten more runic circles suddenly jerked into existence. A giant portal appeared in front of the ship, with a gale-wind pulling everything into it. The Flying Dutchman creaked forward with Davy Jones at the helm, and was pulled towards the portal.

It moved faster and faster as it got closer to the portal, causing the elves to stagger. Ainz was fine, and Aura and Mare were also able to stay on their feet.

The ship jerked into the portal, and all went black. Even Ainz's Darkvision was unable to pierce the gloom. Seconds later, the darkness lifted, revealing a new landscape. They were now in the Warp, a purple realm which supposedly 'bent spacetime, allowing for quick travel.' _At least, that's what the devs claimed. If I remember right, this is where the Navigator comes in._

Davy Jones walked up to the Navigator, letting the wheel spin aimlessly. It seemed to have no effect on the course, and the ship still drifted through the purple mists. It seemed to be flying, as it was not on any visible surface. They passed through a cloud of mist which snapped with sparks of electricity. A silence loomed, broken by the rough voice of the undead Pirate King.

"Navigator. This is where ya do yer part. Ready?"

The Navigator shrugged and nodded. Davy Jones's face twitched, and his eyes glowed with puissance. As he gestured, blue lines raced across the deck, swirling around the Navigator. The lines wound up his legs, arms and chest, forming ethereal chains. The chains drew tight, stretching his limbs into a rough 'x.' The emissary screeched hoarsely at the sight, unable to move from shock and horror. Davy Jones reached a crablike claw into the Navigator's chest while the elf screamed in pain. However, the claw passed through the chest like it was noncorporeal, though it seemed to cause extreme pain.

When the claw retracted, it was holding the heart of the Navigator, pumping wildly in it. Davy Jones picked up the heart and walked over to the wheel. In the wheel was a spiked apparatus in the center, which he stabbed the heart onto. When he stabbed the heart into the wheel, a bright blue flash was emitted, travelling in a wave through the aether.

The Navigator groaned, somehow still alive, and muttered something in a strange tongue. His eyes were now glowing blue, and he rose into the air, surrounded in blue mists. Meanwhile, the wheel also had lines of blue energy coursing from the heart. The wheel spun, and stopped. Now the ship responded, moving forward at a ridiculous speed.

The emissary lunged forward towards his friends body, trying to rip it free of its ethereal chains, but Ainz put a hand on his shoulder.

"Stop, emissary. The ship requires a sacrifice, a show of faith in order to travel through the Warp. When we exit this realm, he will be returned to normal. I have done this many times, and it is always the case."

That last part was a lie. Ainz had only used this once before. In fact he had only picked up the spell because it looked so cool and because Treeform had been so disapointed with its lackluster use that he added some minor stat boosts to all who picked up the spell. When Ainz had used it before, it had required a level 15 minion as a sacrifice, and the same visual effects had played then. However, the minion lost 5 levels when the trip was over. Ainz hoped the Navigator wouldn't notice.

The emissary looked at him hatefully.

"You planned this, didn't you? The people in your continent hate the undead, I guess they have good reason. I bet you revel in see-"

Aura's whip wrapped around his throat, choking his speech.

"You are only alive because Ainz needs you in his plans. But insult the Supreme One again and you will face consequences."

"Indeed. Emissary-dono, I am going to revive one of my last comrades. I would kill your entire race if that was necessary. I don't hate the living as you claim, but you are low on my list of priorities. I promised your friend would be returned to health, and he will. Test me, and that may not be the case."

The emissary gulped, and subsided. However, he couldn't resist shooting off a final shot.

"If he isn't returned to full health, the daughter of the World Shaper will hear about it; he's a good friend of hers."

"The daughter? You mean Aura?"

"No, she has another daughter. A true daughter, a slime. She calls herself 'Kaiju Buu.'"

Ainz stroked his chin in thought. _Bukubukuchagama had a skill called [Split Self] which created a minion of ¾ her strength. However, it took 90 percent of your energy when it was used. Could this Kaiju Buu be one of those minions?_ Ainz was interrupted from his musings by Aura growling.

"I AM a true daughter of Bukubukuchagama-sama!"

She clenched her hand, and emitted her killing intent. The emissary passed out before she could exact her revenge, falling on the floor in a limp heap in the face of such awful pressure. Ainz knew how much creators meant to their creations, so he put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Shhh, Aura. You are a creation of Bukubukuchagama. That makes you her daughter."

She looked up at him, eyes wide, ears drooping.

"Y-yea, I am. So is Mare! Thank you, Ainz-sama."

Ainz suddenly realized something.

"Aura, where's Mare?"

"Hmm? He's right he-... Mare? Where are you, onee-chan?"

Ainz looked around. Mare appeared to be completely missing.

Part 2: Tenebris

Tenebris stalked around, angrily. He could still hardly believe the recent events. He had been vouching for the emissary to the court of that miserable human Emperor. Then, Dark Hero Momon had suddenly appeared and insisted the emissary leave and accompany him to E-Rantel to meet the Sorcerer King. The emissary had left before Tenebris could object, though not before he could track him. He had cast {Wind of Damascus} with Wild Magic, and tracked the emissary's movements. He had kept track of them until the emissary had suddenly disappeared from his mind. He had been blasted by an explosion which had blossomed mysteriously under his nose. It did mild damage, but it had irritated him. Not nearly as much as losing track of the emissary had.

Then, the emissary had reappeared, accompanied by the Sorcerer King. The damnable undead must have blocked his Wild Magic somehow. The Sorcerer King had summoned some sort of ship, teleported away on it, and was far out of Tenebris's reach. All of this combined left the ancient dragon feeling frustrated and helpless. _This undead is far too good at frustrating all ambitions!_

He had contacted Tsaindorcus to request that they come up with a plan. His brother had agreed after some thought, and had said he would be ready at 12:00. The time was 12:15, and his brother had still not flown out of the capital of the City State Alliance to their meeting place. Tenebris had heavily enchanted the place to be immune to scrying so he could talk with his brother without being overheard.

His brother called him paranoid, but his experiences with the Sorcerer King had taught him the value of caution.

Finally, a glimmer of light rose from the city. As Tenebris watched, it grew quickly closer, materializing into the shape of the Platinum Dragon Lord.

The dragon landed in front of him, kicking up dust with the downdraft from its wings. Tsaindorcus walked forward and nodded regally towards Tenebris.

"Hello, Tenebris."

"Tsaindorcus! We must talk!"

"Let me guess: the Sorcerer King?"

"Yes. We must get that emissary back! If we don't, he may infiltrate the other continent, and we cannot allow for his taint to spread to another land. I guess you have given up on fighting him here, but surely we have a chance in Zordon. You know the power of Ka-"

"Tenebris. Please calm down, excitement does not suit a dragon of your age."

"Once, I allowed inaction to doom our race. It will not happen again, regardless of my dignity. Tsaindorcus, we must craft a plan to deal with him."

"Tenebris, while you were flying towards Zordon, I met with the Sorcerer King. I must admit, I no longer see him as the threat I once did. Tenebris, I will tell you this one time. I don't believe he is evil, and I won't help you fight him."

"Are you in league with him, then?"

"No. I don't think he is good either, but I don't think he is the world consuming catastrophe that you believe him to be. Brother, we may live a long time, but we are not immortal. Let us settle and enjoy the time we have left. Govern with me, we will accept you without question. It will be good to have another true Dragon Lord on the council."

"You will not help me? Tsaindorcus, he must have Charmed you. Please allow me to do perform a {Scour} on you."

"Will it convince you, if there is nothing?"

"Yes, it will."

"Very well, I submit to this examination."

Tenebris gathered his life force, and let it out of his body in the form of a white flame. The flame briefly bathed Tsaindorcus body, but it only burned dimly like a fire without fuel. Normally, a {Scour} would burn into a massive conflagration which burned out negative statuses, so the dimness clearly showed there was nothing.

Tenebris felt himself internally deflate, and yet he was filled with relief. There was nothing to campaign for, no world to protect. He trusted Tsaindorcus's judgement, and if he was truly himself, then perhaps there was nothing to worry about.

The {Scour} burnt out, leaving a massive burnt swath of grass around Tsaindorcus's body. Tsaindorcu shifted his massive body, brushing aside a bush low at his feet.

"Tenebris, are you satisfied?"

"Yes, I am satisfied."

"I am glad to hear it. I was worried your desire for vengeance against the players would consume you."

"I am a Dragon Lord. We are not consumed, we consume others."

"Haha. Very well. Will you accept my offer and become a Dragon Councillor?"

"No, I don't think I will. I have better things to do than meddle in the affairs of ants. I may wander the world as I did in my youth, or sleep in the bowels of the earth again."

As he mentioned that last idea, it grew appealing in his mind. Tenebris was the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord. He stalked the depths, lived in the tunnels and caverns. The wide world was no place for him to roam, beautiful as it was. His crimson eyes flickered, and he regarded his last brother.

"Yes, I think I will sleep again. It will be good to return to my home after all these months."

"If that is your wish, I will honor it."

"Thank you. Enjoy wasting your time governing ingrates."

Part 3: Ainz

[Message]

"Mare?"

"Ainz-sama! Where are you?"

"We are still on the Davy Jones's ship. Where are _you_?

"I fell of the ship, so I c-cast [Fly] but you guys were so fast, and now I'm lost."

Mare's cute voice echoed through Ainz's mind, sounding sad and lost. Ainz desperately thought of ways to help him.

"Have you tried [Greater Teleportation]?"

"Yes, Ainz-sama. Nothing happened.

"Hmm… Davy Jones!"

"Yes, Summoner-sama!"

"I have lost one of my companions. Please turn this ship around and recover him."

"I can't."

"Why not? I command it."

"Summoner-sama, the current Navigator needs to make that decision. I doubt he knows where your companion is, or is willing to turn the ship there."

"Then remove the Navigator. My subordinate is very valuable to me."

"Very well."

Davy Jones walked over to the Navigator, who was still suspended in an 'x', controlling the ship with lines of magic arcing off of his eyes and body. He picked the heart up, ripping it from the wheel and shoved it forcefully into the Navigator's body. The Navigator gasped, and fell forward retching. His eyes opened, returning to their normal shade of green. He retched, throwing up his breakfast all over the deck. Most of the vomit flew off of the side, whisked away by the wind.

The ship immediately ground to a halt, and hung, floating in the Warp.

"Mare, are you still there?"

"Yes, Ainz-sama."

"Please send me your location with [Beacon]"

"Of course, Ainz-sama."

Ainz suddenly felt a tug in his mind, and he became aware of Mare's location. _250 miles away? He has only been gone for three minutes at the most!_ Ainz turned towards the Navigator

"Navigator, I have lost a subordinate a ways back. You need to turn this ship around and return them to me."

"Never! I'll never undergo that, that THING again! I'd rather die!"

Ainz was rapidly losing patience with the elves. He didn't hate the living, but he no longer emphasized with them. Having these two consistently snob him was getting on his nerves, unreasonable as it seems.

"Fine, then. Aura, summon that beast that Mare liked. The connection should be enough for it to navigate to him."

"Yes, Ainz-sama! You mean the bunny?"

"Yes."

Aura waved a hand, and a puddle appeared on the floor, gradually rising up into the shape of a horned bunny.

[Summon Jackalope]

The bunny fully emerged from the goop, and took a hop forward. It was about a meter high and two meters long, with a saddle on its back. Its black nose sniffed inquisitively, and red eyes looked around. It kneeled in front of Aura, and awaited instructions.

"Jackalope! Allow Davy Jones to perform the navigation right on you."

The emissary gasped at the Jackalope.

"That' the one Mare used to ride all the time…!"

Aura gave him an annoyed glance, and then glanced at Davy Jones. The emissary looked away as the unresisting Jackalopes heart was ripped out and placed on the wheel. The bunny was chained to the deck by the same ethereal lines. It's eyes glowed blue, and lines of light covered the masts, rigging, and wheel. A blue wave of energy cascaded into the void for a second time. The wheel spun with purpose again, and the ship wheeled around.

Once facing the proper direction, the ship started moving at the same absurd speed again. Almost no sooner had they accelerated than the ship stopped moving again. Floating in front of them was Mare, holding a teacup in delicate hands and sipping from it. His mismatched eyes lit up when he saw the Flying Dutchman appear.

"Onii-san! Ainz-sama! I'm over here!"

"We see you, Mare."

Mare noticed the Jackalope, chained to the wheel.

"Aura, wh-what did you do to Jackie?!"

"I'm sorry, onee-chan. I had to do it to get you back."

Mare sniffled, and when he was aboard again, he ran over to the bound bunny. He looked at Davy Jones.

"Put the elf back in, take out Jackie right now."

Davy Jones looked at Ainz in question, and the necromancer nodded. Davy Jones walked forward, and replaced the bunny's heart. Ainz looked back at the Navigator. He knew it would be useless to try to convince the Navigator to do it again, but he had other means of persuasion.

[Dominate Mind]

The Navigator suddenly went stiff, and stood perfectly straight. His fingers twitched, jerking back and forth. He looked at Ainz, and spoke in a monotone.

"Orders?"

"Become the sacrifice again, and guide this ship to your home continent."

The emissary grabbed his friend, and tried to stop him, but Ainz intervened.

[Imbue Unconsciousness]

The emissary fell over in a pile on the floor. The anger and shock on his face faded to be peaceful, and he began snoring.

Meanwhile, the Navigator allowed Davy Jones to place his heart on the wheel. He showed no trace of the former pain that had affected him, and didn't even move as chains lifted him into the air and a blue mists swirled around him once more. A third blue wave shot across the aether. As the lines of power snaked out to touch the wheel, the ship spun around on its axis, and shot off in the right direction once more.

They traveled in silence, Ainz, Mare, and Aura all thinking about Bukubukuchagama, the elves snoring or bound in silence, and the skeleton crew noiselessly attending to the ropes. Thus, when a bellow echoed across the void, it was impossible to miss. Behind them, a massive behemoth sped through the mist, swimming like it would in the sea. Somehow, despite the ridiculous speed of ship, it was gaining.

"Davy Jones, what is that!"

"Every time a Navigator is chosen, it has a chance of waking the Warp Guardian. We changed three times."

"Can it be killed?"

"With difficulty. It is equivalent to a raid boss."

"Do you have any information on it?"

Behind them, the behemoth roared again, and started pulling even closer.

"It has level VI Fire, Water, Earth, and Air resistance, as well as complete resistance to Soul-based attacks." It is capable of-"

"Does it have Death resistances?"

"Not that I know of."

Ainz's mind raced, forming a rough plan. His trump card was available. _There's a chance… Better than nothing!"_ This strategy was rarely used, as almost every raid boss had Death Immunity.

[Skill: The Goal of All Life is Death]

A clock appeared in existence behind his back.

1…

The leviathan roared, and propelled itself further. One of the skeleton crewmen fell off of the rigging, and was left behind at incredible speed. The leviathan was moving too quickly to dodge him, so the skeleton splattered against its writhing body, disintegrating.

4…

Ainz glanced at Aura and Mare. They were standing by, ready to fight.

7…

He looked at Davy Jones, who was directing the skeletons to load cannons. _I can't believe you added this, Treeform._

10…

The behemoth was incredibly close. It snapped its jaws, only twenty feet behind the Flying Dutchman

12…

Ainz reached forward.

[Death]

Augmented by his Skill, the chance of Instant Death was 100%. The world went white, and the last thing was dissolve was the outline of an undead mage, hand outstretched, pointing at a massive monster, while standing on the helm of a ship. The Behemoth froze, and stopped swimming. It seemed to disappear as the Flying Dutchman sped through the Warp.

Ahead of them, the end portal appeared. The Flying Dutchman blew through it, and came out, moving slowly on a serene lake. Ainz, and all aboard, felt a sense of profound relief.

 **A/N Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed. I'm having some trouble with starting the 22nd Century Fic, but it's coming don't worry. Leave a review, if you want something to be changed. Hail Ainz-sama!**


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20 Part 1: Ainz

The Flying Dutchman slammed forward onto the serene lake, exiting the Warp with so much force that a massive wave was sent from both sides, spreading out and swamping the shore. The ship bobbed back to the surface and stopped moving. The Navigator slumped as his ethereal chains slithered away, dissolving into wisps of mist. He gasped, and his heart lifted from the wheel, sinking through his skin and flesh like water. It refastened himself into his chest, and the Navigator gasped, slumping to his knees.

Ainz snapped his fingers at the Emissary, still sleeping from the effects of [Imbue Unconsciousness]. With a start, the elf awoke, and looked around groggily. Ainz walked up to him.

"Hello, Emissary-dono. While you were napping, we have arrived back at your home. How was your rest?"

"I don't know. I feel weird. However, I cannot say it was a poor sleep. How was the journey?"

"Uneventful. We arrived without being attacked or having any difficulties thanks to your friend here. He's a talented Navigator."

The Emissary regarded his wheezing friend.

"Why is he gasping like that?"

"Well, I'm afraid Navigating for so long took a bit of energy out of him. He will be fine."

"Now, I suppose you would like to visit Bukubukuchagama-san?"

Ainz nodded, his eyes flaring into miniature suns.

"Yes. Please take me to her as soon as possible."

The elf inclined it's head, causing his golden earrings swinging gently on the tips of long ears.

"Of course, Gown-dono. However, first, you will need to meet her child."

Ainz tilted his head, confused. He had assumed that Kaiju Buu had been well regarded, perhaps even worshipped. Yet, there was a slight emphasis to the way he pronounced her name that disturbed that impression. It was an almost contemptuous tone. _Should I bite and ask him about it? Maybe._

"Emissary-dono. You seem to have conflicting feelings about this Kaiju Buu. Please tell me.

The Emissary's eyes opened wider, and his mouth dropped slightly open. He gave his head a vague shake that could be attributed to having just woken up.

"Truly, Gown-dono, the reputation of your fearsome intellect is well deserved. How impressive it is to be read so openly."

Behind the Emissary, Aura and Mare also looked impressed. Aura leaned over to whisper something to Mare, which caused the younger brother to nod, and look at Ainz with awe. Meanwhile, the Emissary continued speaking.

"As for the issue of Kaiju Buu, perhaps it will be best to describe over our journey. We still have a ways to go. How, may I ask, do you plan on taking us to the capital."

Ainz considered. He knew he couldn't use the Flying Dutchman. One of its many disadvantages was that it could only move over water, not just between two lakes. Therefore, it wouldn't work. [Gate] was also impossible, since you had to have traveled to the place at least once before. He could summon something… too slow. However… a flash of inspiration lit his mind. An obvious solution.

"Emissary-dono, I would be correct in thinking that you have visited the capital before?"

"Indeed, that is the case. How shrewd you are too have deduced it!"

Ainz sighed mentally as he recognized the common pattern of people assuming he predicted everything by means far beyond their comprehension. He decided not to correct the elf. _Waste of time._

"Then, Emissary-dono, I will need to perform a spell on you which may make you uncomfortable. However, I promise it has no lasting effects."

"I would like to hear the name of this spell before I accept. I'm sure you can understand my position."

"Indeed, I do. I would not submit to a spell without prior knowledge myself. The name of the spell is [Control Amnesia]. It allows me to look into your memories."

"If I may ask, why do you need to use this spell? Can't you summon some form of transport? I have heard that you are even capable of [Teleportation]."

"Indeed, I am capable of that spell, and more potent one's beside. However, I need to have visited the place before I can teleport there. Thus, I need your assistance."

"Very well, as long as you promise not to attempt to influence my mind or take classified knowledge."

Ainz nodded in the affirmative.

"Then, I am ready."

[Control Amnesia]

The Emissary gasped, and stood stock still as Ainz reached into his mind. In the game, the spell had been very popular for griefing, you could erase waypoint knowledge from other players, or knowledge of certain spells. The damage would reverse itself after an hour, and due to the mana costs, it was inefficient for incapacitating enemies in battle. However, a Guild called A Trip Down Memory Lane had specialized in it, and their griefing potential had been feared.

Ainz shuffled through the Emissary's memories. Childhood, a century of being a teenager (Inside Ainz, Suzuki grimaced in sympathy), and almost half a millenia of adulthood. Ainz simply moved to a random point where he had been in the capital, and memorized the location.

He terminated the spell, causing the Emissary to exhale, and relax. Ainz formed a mental picture of the capital, and cast [Gate]

"Are you ready, Emissary-dono? Please step through the gate."

The Emissary rubbed his head, moving long fingers through flaxen hair as if feeling for something on his scalp. After searching, apparently fruitlessly, he nodded, and looked towards the portal. Aura's foot was visible, disappearing within. Mare followed, holding his staff timidly.

"Ah, forgive me. Yes, I am ready."

He turned towards the Navigator, who was still sitting on the ground.

"Get up, Aerendyl."

The Navigator heaved himself upwards, and staggered forward a step. Leaning on the Emissary, he walked towards the gate, floating in the air. The Emissary stepped through, the Navigator in tow.

Part 2: Emissary

As soon as he stepped into the floating portal, he lost all sense of direction. There was a sudden sense of complete vertigo, and he felt like he was floating. Then, reality re-asserted itself, and he stepped through the portal. The whole experience was worthy of the magics of the gods. The tenth tier.

To his astonishment, when he stepped through the portal, he was on the stone paved streets of Echolion, the elven capital. Well-dressed Noble Elves in carriages proceeded in orderly lines on all sides of the broad street, while the middle-classes, made up of humans and other humanoids, walked along the street. It was the picture of order. The arrival of the undead next to him caused a stir. Carriages veered to the side, and drivers shouted curses.

However, when they got a good look at Gown-dono, they shut up. Even a fool could feel that he was a being not to be trifled with. The shouts died in their tongues, and they quietly turned their carriages to the side. Gown-dono muttered something, and several undead slipped into existence, about 15. They all looked quite potent, but they kept around the Sorcerer King and didn't attack the citizens. The Emissary was glad of that.

But the peace didn't last long. One of the pedestrians suddenly got a good look at Ainz's entourage. He kneeled.

"Mare-sama! Aura-sama! You have come back to us! We never doubted you would."

Shouts of wonder and gratitude echoed from the crowd. Even the proud Elven Nobles bowed, or made gestures of fealty to their imagined saviors. The Emissary sighed internally. He could already guess what would happen.

Aura stepped forward, hand on her barbed whip.

"Stop! I am not the Aura you know. I am from another continent, and I serve another Supreme Being, Momonga-sama!"

He had told Aura to say Momonga instead of Ainz, since the people wouldn't know that name. He was still confused why Ainz had taken it, but he accepted that there must have been reasons.

Her rehearsed lines caused subdued mutters of doubt. During Bukubukuchagama's 250 year long reign, the 40 other Supreme One's had been well known by the public. There were even statues of them inside the Great Tomb, and their powers and deeds were known to all who studied history. The Emissary stepped forward and addressed the crowd.

"People, as you know, recently, a Dragon Lord came here, with tidings of another continent. Many of you remember me being sent as an Emissary to that continent. I have returned, with these three guests."

"But you haven't explained why Aura and Mare are on that continent! Are they actually the Shaper's Children?"

The Emissary realized that this wouldn't suffice to calm their doubts. It was a palpable shock to see figures which had been worshipped but presumed dead, appear in front of you claiming to be someone else. Indeed, his own emotions had been a rollercoaster of disbelief and shock when he had seen the other Nazarick. _Should I tell them the truth? They would never believe it._

"Aura and Mare went there to pay homage to Momonga-dono, who is living on the other continent. They have come here again at his behest. Please, move out of our way, as Momonga-sama has urgent business."

However, the crowd refused to part. In fact, if anything, they grew closer together, drawing into a tight circle around Ainz-dono's undead. He looked helplessly at Ainz, begging the undead to do something.

Indeed, the Sorcerer King did not disappoint. Horrible pressure rolled out in waves, crushing hope and resistance. A gale force wind dashed down the street, knocking people over and merchants' carts. The aura was so strong that the Emissary felt like running, peeing himself, and attacking Ainz. If it had such an effect on one of the eldest elves, he could scarcely imagine what it was doing to the people. He glanced over. There was nobody in sight. All the way up and down the street, carriages were left unattended, and sidewalks were unwalked. He spied the coattails of the last pedestrian zip around the side of building, and all was clear.

The Emissary glanced up at Ainz in horror. Despite the magic he had seen so far, and his knowledge of the power of the Supreme Beings, he had only now keenly felt the unreachable might that they possessed. Bukubukuchagama had said she was the strongest Supreme Being, but he had never felt anything like that come from her.

Without another word, Ainz walked down the marble paved street. His entourage followed, and after some hesitation, so did the Emissary. One of the undead, a large, well build skeleton in gleaming red and black armor set with gems, and holding a halberd, picked up the Navigator.

Soon, they reached the end of the street, and people started reappearing. When they turned the corner, everything was going as normal. Ainz walked through the crowd, looking so magnificent that it was visible instantly that he was visiting nobility or royalty. This time, Aura and Mare wore traveler's cloaks, covering their heads and bodies.

"Gown-dono, where exactly are we headed?"

"Ah, didn't I tell you? We are heading to Bukubukuchagama's body."

"But, no one knows where that is except Kaiju Buu!"

"Kaiju Buu is visiting the capitol, correct? I will visit her, and take the information by force if necessary."

"It may be necessary. Kaiju Buu holes herself up in the capital, brooding. She is too strong to be removed, and she won't talk with anyone. Shall I take you to her abode?"

"Yes."

Oftentimes, the Emissary noticed Ainz lapsing in and out of the proper etiquette. Theoretically, an ambassador from another country should be regarded with honor by a king. Often, Ainz forgot to fo this. However, he knew he did not deserve the respect or honor of a Supreme Being, and he was glad to have even been called '-dono.' the amount of times he had been.

Followed by Ainz and co., he walked forward, down a wide street surrounded by shops with courtyards. Pedestrians were on all sides, buying wares or simply traveling. Eventually, they reached a side street. Instead of shops and plazas, townhouses littered the edges of the sidewalks, large abodes of the wealthy. They walked for a while until they reached the end of the street. There, stood the largest house yet, made of marble and gold, columned, with bright stained glass and decorations everywhere. It was as colorful as the rest of the country, yet it still managed to look gloomy.

In front of the house, a small squadron of elves stood, leaning on spears and drinking.

There was an address on the house, reading 'Bukubukuchagama-sama'. A sign hung over the door, with a bold message penned on it. 'Do not disturb. Disturbers will be killed.'

Part 3: Kaiju Buu

She stayed in two places. The Tower, and her home in the capital. Of the two, she preferred the Tower, but it was alright to stay in the capital, as it also emanated the presence of her mother. If she concentrated, she could almost hear the cheery voice of the slime, as it bustled about.

Her mother had lived in the capital during all of Kaiju's life, accompanied by many powerful servants, deciding that she preferred the people and the sun to the Great Tomb. Kaiju still remembered her only visit to the Tomb, though the memory grew fainter by the day. Massive rainforests. Frozen vistas. A blazing realm of fire. A Throne Room stretching hundreds of feet into the air.

However, when her mother had died, all access to the Tomb had been closed, even to her. They had not thought of her as worthy of her mo-

The door opened, shedding light into the chamber, which landed on her. She was sitting in a chair, in the hallway leading out of the entrance.

The door frame revealed a broad shape, with an ebony skull and two blazing fires burning in the sockets.

Kaiju leapt backward, and assumed a fighting stance.

"I don't know who you are, or how you got past my guards, but you will go no further into this holy domain!"


	21. PTA announcement

**A/N, Hey guys! I received some negative feedback on the last ending, which I think is fair. I've been a bit busy, and decided to rush a chapter out instead of thinking about it. Don't worry, I will definitely come back and re do it. Just letting you know.**


	22. Chapter 21

**A/N Sorry for not updating Nazarick in the 2nd Century, two fanfics at a time is too much for me. I'll get there, though.**

Chapter 21 Part 1: Kaiju

The door opened a crack, letting a beam of light enter the chamber. The door opened even wider, letting the light fall further and further into the room, where it eventually landed on the sleeping form of a pink slime. The sudden light awoke Kaiju from her sleep, and she looked up groggily.

The door frame revealed a broad shape, with an ebony skull and two blazing fires burning in the sockets.

Kaiju leapt backward, and assumed a fighting stance. Several spells potent against the undead appeared in her mind, but they all required range.

"I don't know who you are, or how you got past my guards, but you will go no further into this one's domain!"

The silhouette was silent, though she noticed the head tilting. It stepped forward into the hallway, causing it's domineering presence to fill the room. The undead walked another couple steps forward, entering the room, and coming to a stop in front of Kaiju.

"Incredible…"

"What? What's incredible? Who are you?"

"...I had no idea this was even possible."

Being ignored is annoying. Being ignored by someone who broke into your house and is now looking you over like a fascinating science specimen is doubly annoying.

"If you don't tell me who you are, what you are doing here, and why I'm so fascinating, I will be forced to destroy you!"

"Your name is Kaiju Buu, correct? My apologies for being so rude. My name is Ai- Momonga. As for why you are so fascinating, it is simply that I never expected you to be sentient."

The undead continued muttering as thoughts whirled through Kaiju's head. _Momonga? As in,_ The _Momonga? He certainly looks like mother said he did. Is it possible another one of the 41 (exalted be their name) has returned?_

"You see, you are a Slime Minion, a summon of Bukubukuchagama's, caused by her splitting herself in half. You lose 60% of your HP, but you get a powerful summon. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you are sentient, as my summons generally are. I just assumed that you wouldn't be because of Slime Minion's intelligence stat."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Ah- nothing. My apologies. This New World never seizes to amaze."

 _This New World never seizes to amaze._ The words echoed in Kaiju's mind for a second without her realizing why. Then it clicked.

"My mother used to say that."

"Did she?"

The und- Momonga looked at her strangely. She felt a vast and unfathomable intelligence press briefly upon her. In his case, she felt deep machinations, and it felt like he saw straight through her, to her soul. She shivered.

"If I may ask, why do you refer to her as your mother? Isn't she just your summoner?"

Kaiju puffed up with pride at the memory of long ago.

"Because, Momonga, she said I could! She placed me on the same exalted dias as Aura and Mare!"

Just then, she saw other shapes emerge from behind Momonga. A whip, long ears, and tousled yet adorable hair.

"Refer to Ainz-sama with the proper respect!"

"Ainz? Who is that?"

Momonga leaned forward to where she was sitting on the floor.

"I called myself Momonga because I assumed that is what Bukubukuchagama would have told you my name was. I have since assumed the name of our proud Guild, Ainz Ooal Gown! You may refer to me as such."

"C-call him Ainz-sama, not just Ainz."

Kaiju internally smiled as the way Mare spoke brought back fond memories, things she hadn't thought of since the Guardians left.

"My bad, Mare. I'll keep it in mind."

She got a distinct sense of a smile from the implacable visage of Momo- Ainz-sama. Her mother had expressed difficulty in expressing her emotions visually, and had exuded a similar sense of what she was feeling in an identical way.

"Ainz-sama, is there a reason you have come all the way to this continent? Such a taxing process surely has good reason."

The feeling of a smile disappeared, and Aura and Mare's expressions turned from curious to somber.

"Yes, there is. I have come to visit the grave of Bukubukuchagama. I will revive her if I can."

Kaiju felt a surge of protectiveness for her mothers final resting place, but she swallowed it. Her mother had once told all of the Great Tomb several protocols to follow should they ever meet another Supreme Being. Over time, she had lost hope, and the protocols had been filed away in a deep corner of the collective consciousness of Nazarick. One of these protocols instructed them to follow all orders of another Supreme Being unless it contradicted Bukubukuchagama's own orders. Then she considered what Ainz-sama had said.

"How did you guess that I was the caretaker of the grave? That must be why you visited, correct? Truly, you are fit to rule the Supreme Beings!"

"I- what?"

He was cut off by Aura's exuberant shout.

"Of course! Ainz-sama predicts everything happening across the world. This entire conversation is probably going according to his designs. Everything dances in the palm of his hand, throughout the whole of existence! Flies are born, and die again as part of his 10,000 year plan."

Ainz-sama seemed to chuckle after a pained moment of silence.

"Now now, Aura. You give me too much credit."

Aura made a skeptical face, but dropped the subject. Ainz turned to regard Kaiju once more, the red flames of his eyes fixing on her.

"Well, you say you know where she is buried. I would be obliged if you would take us there."

"Ainz-sama, I hesitate to reveal my most treasured secret to someone who has just entered my life five minutes ago. Is there anyway you can prove your identity without doubt?"

Aura stepped forward, brimming with righteous anger.

"That's an unreasonable request! There is no way Ainz-sama can prove that without doubt!"

"Hush, Aura. Please do not interrupt again."

He turned towards Kaiju again, leaning forward almost imperceptibly to better look at her, sitting on the floor.

"Yes, Kaiju, I can prove my identity without doubt. Behold-"

[Summon: Guild Weapon]

The air in front of him glowed, and then receded into the shape of seven golden serpents, writhing into a circle. Ainz-sama reached forward and plucked the weapon out of the air, and held it naturally. Bukubukuchagama had been unable to do more than swing around the Staff of Ainz like a club, let alone summon it.

Kaiju compressed her body in a way that mimicked bowing. Even though she was not a PoP monster or an NPC, she was summoned by a Supreme Being. Therefore, she was as loyal to the 41 as any NPC would be.

"Ainz-sama! I apologize for doubting you! How wonderful it is that another Supreme Being has joined the world, let alone the Supreme One."

"Ah, thank you, Kaiju. Now please lead us to your mother's grave, the sooner I can get to her, the better.

"Of course, my apologies, Supreme One. I can teleport us there if you like."

"Yes, that would be good. Do you have access to [Gate]?"

"No, I do not. I can cast [Mass Greater Teleportation], however."

"Doesn't that spell have a distance limit?"

"Yes, Aura, so I will have to teleport us several times."

Ainz nodded in affirmation. He walked right next to Kaiju so he was standing next to her, and looked down and to his side so that his gaze rested on her. Aura and Mare followed behind.

Kaiju got ready to cast the spell. She felt the mana flow through her body, and released it.

[Mass Greater Teleportation]

In a blink of light, the four of them disappeared.

Part 2: Ainz

They had hopped across the land, short distances at a time about five times. It irritated him, but because he didn't know where Bukubukuchagama was buried personally, he couldn't teleport on his own.

The scenery shifted one more time, and then readjusted itself to reveal the real world. Kaiju rolled forward, before twisting to regard Ainz.

"This is the place."

Ainz had seen many remarkable things in his life, and he had created things in Nazarick which would cause even the bitterest orc to claw out his own eyes so he could better remember the beauty. However, the scene in front of him rivaled the grandeur of Nazarick with its beauty.

They were standing on a high hill, overlooking a lake. Trees leaned gently over the water, with glowing pink and orange leaves. Strange birds and insects fluttered around the blossoms, and a scent similar to plums was in the air. The lake had a well crafted wooden pier stretching ten feet in, with a dainty rowboat at one end. The wood that made up the pier was golden hued, and fit together snugly and securely. The lake was on a floating piece of land resembling a floating island. The island rested in the air about ten feet blow the hilltop where they had emerged. Waterfalls flowed off of the side of the floating island, and gilded yet delicate chains held it to the earth.

Below the island, there was a valley illuminated by the sunlight and the glowing trees. Ponds were formed by the waterfalls coming off of the floating island, and many unfamiliar animals grazed by them. The largest of these were animals resembling tigers, who had the faces of stags. Massive curved horns grew from their tawny fur, and small birds ate insects out of their backs. As Ainz watched, two of these mammals suddenly charged each other, causing birds and dirt to go flying. As soon as they had started, they stopped, and continued grazing while the birds settled down again.

Rising from the middle of the lake was an island with a tree sprouting from the middle. A serpent made of gold wound around the trunk, and two apples hung from the tree, with two bites taken out of each. Next to the tree was a well worn bench.

"It truly is as impressive as the devs said…"

"W-what, Ainz-sama?"

"Oh nothing, Mare."

He reached down and absent-mindedly ruffled the dark elves hair. _So that's the Garden of Eden._ The Garden of Eden was a domain that one could summon if you had level 15 in the Gardener of God, Biologist, or Nurgle's Chosen classes. Bukubukuchagama had gained Nurgle's Chosen, and used many of it's stronger abilities in combat very effectively. _Apparently she decided to use this here._

"I was just thinking on how much of a suitable resting place this is for my dear friend."

Kaiju nodded at him.

"Indeed, my mother-"

Aura made a choking noise.

"-Thought for a long time on where to be buried. She eventually decided to use her mighty magic to pull this place into existence. It was magnificent, she just closed her eyes, and this heaven simply rose into existence."

Ainz, Aura, and Mare listened with interest as Kaiju described Bukubukuchagama. Kaiju was now talking how it must be part of the home of the Supreme Beings. _Should I embellish this story? Seems like a good idea._

"Indeed, Kaiju. This is part of the divine realm of us Supreme Beings. Each of us possesses our own realm which suits our personalities perfectly. This is Bukubukuchagama's. Did your mother tell you its name? It is Garden of Eden."

He heard amazed whispers from Aura and Mare. He smiled as his words had their desired effect.

"Alright guys, we can only reach the island by rowing on the boat, and we have to go one at a time. As you know, you cannot use skills or magic on the island. Ainz-sama, will you be going first?"

The reason why all attacks were impossible on the island was because the devs had toyed with the idea of making the respawn zone look like this. They had ended up deciding against it, but had kept it in the game as the perfect summonable spot to organize a treaty.

"Very well. How will the rowboat return to the shore if I am on the island?"

"I think Bukubukuchagama-sama said it should automatically return to shore, yes."

"Then, how will we get back off the island if it stays on the pier once we arrive?"

"Once the last member of the group is across, the rowboat will stay on your side."

With that, Ainz cast [Fly], and hovered forward to land on the island. His spell guttered out right over the island, and he landed gracefully. Aura, Mare, and Kaiju were not far behind. He walked onto the form fitting wood of the pier, causing dull thump as his boots (What does Ainz wear on his feet?) resounded off of the solid wood. He was filled with apprehension and hope. _Will she have left a final message? God, I'm nervous._ His nervousness was suppressed by his undead nature, but he was still a full of a storm of emotions

He reached the end of the pier, and stopped. The rowboat was far enough out of reach that there was no way to reach it without bending over to reach at it frantically and lose all dignity. Especially since he couldn't use [Fly].However, to his great happiness, the boat drifted closer, and held perfectly still against the side of the dock.

He stepped majestically into the rowboat, which held supernaturally still despite the water it was floating on. Standing on the rowboat felt as sturdy as the ground, and he easily entered the it. He grabbed the oars in his bony hands, raising them out of the water.

Ainz rhythmically began rowing across the lake, pulling evenly and deep. He progressed through quickly, and he made it halfway through the lake in no time at all

He braced for the voiceover of the Garden to hit him. It was legendarily over the top, full of divine proclamations and blaring trumpets. However, it was replaced by a cheerful and fake voice, that of his dear friend.

"Hey, whoever this is. I hope you like this place! I put a lot of effort into it the grave of the 'great Bukubukuchagama.' In any case, this message is just to let you know the rules. When you get across, just exit the rowboat. It will reappear on the dock. Also, sit on the bench when you are done, and wait for your whole party to come over. Thanks!"

Ainz smiled at her voice, and kept her instructions close to heart. Soon, he had reached the beach. The rowboat pulled itself forward up onto the perfect white sand without any urging, beaching itself completely. Ainz stepped out, and walked over to the bench.

He sat on it, and found it to be very comfortable, despite the fact he no longer desired such things. _Albedo would think sitting on a wooden bench beneath me, but I think it is quite enough_. Ainz directed his gaze over to the pier, where Aura had stepped up. Her usual confidence appeared frayed, though she moved vigorously. The Rowboat in front of Ainz shimmered and disappeared, rematerializing next to the pier. Aura made a short hop, landing perfectly in the boat. Hardly a ripple spread from the action, so smooth was her landing.

She picked up the oars and flexed her fingers, before rowing with maniacal speed, possessing none of the gravity and majesty Ainz had attempted to exude. The boat practically flew over the water, propelled by the might of a level 100 Guardian filled with anticipation. However, halfway through, Aura suddenly sat stock still and stopped moving. Her boat was still traveling with plenty of momentum however, and carried her forward another 10 meters.

Aura's face contorted in anger and sadness, and she frantically backpedaled, maneuvering the boat with ridiculous speed, overshooting yet again. Ainz watched as the boat zipped forward and back as Aura attempted to keep it in place. He knew if he didn't intervene, she might just get more and more desperate.

"Aura, use smaller strokes. Go gently, and it will be easier to manuever the boat where you want."

Aura looked at him and nodded, and slowly pulled the oars. The boat stopped moving, and then slowly floated boat stopped where it was, and Aura closed her eyes for twenty seconds. After that, she moved the boat forward and then back again. She listened for another twenty five seconds, continually replaying the message so she could here her beloved creator's voice.

"Aura. Please come here, you will have all the time in the world to listen to it later. As for now, time is of the essence if you want to resurrect Bukubukuchagama."

With effort, Aura tore herself from her internal thoughts, and listened to Ainz.

"Yes, Ainz-sama."

She regretfully rowed the boat to shore, where it beached itself once again. She walked up to Ainz and sat next to him. The bench molded itself into the shape of her butt, rippling as it did so.

"You heard her voice too, Ainz-sama?"

"Yes, Aura, I did. I am pleased by your desire to hear your creator's words, but as I said, time is of the essence."

Aura nodded, and sat in the comfortable wooden bench next to him. The bench exuded a pleasant odor of cedar wood, as did the tree behind them. Aura soon noticed the slowly writhing snake coiled around the trunk, and momentarily lost focus as she was fascinated by a new magical beast.

Ainz watched as Mare got into the rowboat, and rowed across in a strange mixture of Ainz and Aura's methods. He rowed in short bursts of panicky speed, and moments of slow, calm, maneuvering. Halfway through, Mare stiffened as well. A small tear fell from his multicolored eyes, and then he started to weep. Eventually, the message ended. Mare rowed backwards, and then forwards again, listening to the message once more. Ainz let him do it, as Aura had also gotten to, but when Mare went for it a third time, he stopped him.

Once Mare set foot on the island, they all heard a voice echo in their minds. The voice of Bukubukuchagama.

"Is this everyone?"

Ainz looked at Kaiju, who was still standing on the pier making no effort to enter the rowboat. She shouted at him across the water.

"I'm not coming."

"Yes, it is."

"Then, hey everyone! This is my final resting spot, my grave, I guess. Please state your names, I've made a little surprise for everyone."

"Momonga."

"Hey Momonga! How are you doing? Crazy that you made it into this world too, right? What a wild place, but it's certainly better than home. Come visit Nazarick, maybe take some inspiration from what I've done with the place? I wish I could have seen you one more time, my brothers dear friend, but I suppose there is no use asking for something once it's too late."

Ainz was silent the whole time, but he felt his loneliness slowly seeping away. Briefly, he felt the presence of someone who had gone through what he had, someone he could truly count on.

"Aura and Mare, please state your names"

"Au-"

"Ma-... Me first!"

The two of them started to bicker, the tears of joy still not having dried on their faces after hearing Bukubukuchagama speak to Ainz. Ainz felt the stirrings of anger that they would disrespect the resting place of one of his beloved comrades in such a rude way.

"Aura! Mare! How dare you soil the resting place of Bukubukuchagama with your childish bickering! Where is your respect?"

"Aiee! Sorry Ainz-sama! How could we forget ourselves like this? Please, tell me how to atone."

"Y-yeah, Ainz-sama, please punish me!"

"I will think of a fitting punishment when we return home."

Ainz had given up on convincing the NPC's that they didn't require punishment, so instead he just told them it would happen later, and then he would never do it.

"Aura, please step forward and state your name."

Aura stepped forward and proudly puffed out her chest.

"Aura Bella Fiora!"

"Hey Aura, you little munchkin! My eldest daughter! Good to hear from you again. We had some good times together, didn't we? Crazy to think those times would ever end, but they did. If I have to tell you true, however, my favorite time with you was when we cuddled under that tree I made after your 140th birthday. You're very snuggly! After all, I did make you to have that nice side of your personality. I hope you keep good care of my Kingdom, and of course, Mare as well. Love you tons!"

Aura broke into open tears, part love, and part frustration. After all, the treasured memories her creator were describing had not happened to her. She was forced to guess about how the cuddling had been, or what all the good times she spoke about were. Ainz placed a consoling hand on her back.

"Aura, if all goes well, you will soon be reunited with Bukubukuchagama."

She sniffled, and nodded. Aura sat back on the bench, looking happy, yet desolate. Ainz looked at Mare, who was leaning on his staff and crying.

"Go ahead, Mare."

"M-Mare."

"Oh, you cute little baby! How I loved the sound of your stutter, and your cute mannerisms. Out of all my creations, I made you to be the most uplifting and adorable. You bring out my maternal instincts like nothing else ever did. In fact, truth be told, I considered you my child. Aura too, of course. Mare, I want you to keep an eye on Aura for me. She was really upset by me announcing I would soon leave, and I'm worried. You may be cuddly and adorable, but you have grown up into a beautiful, cross-dressing, man. Ahh, my sweet Mare."

Mare straight up collapsed, crying. Ainz picked him up, like father does to a heartbroken child whose favorite dog has just died. He carried him over to the bench, and sat him next to Aura. The two dark elves sat together, holding each other and crying. Ainz looked at them, the flames in his eye sockets fluttering.

He desperately thought of something to say that would comfort them, but then he realized he didn't need to. They were crying with joy.


	23. Chapter 23- Final

Chapter 22 Part 1: Ainz

Ainz looked at Aura and Mare. The two of them were sniffling, having finally gotten over the whirlwind of strong emotions which had assailed them, but they still huddled on the bench together. With regret, Ainz knew that he would likely need to comfort them more in a few seconds. It was time to disinter Bukubukuchagama's body, to see if there was any chance of revival.

He realized her had forgotten to ask Kaiju exactly where the body was buried. He was confident that Bukubukuchagama was indeed buried on the island because of the automated voices left behind, so he felt confident that he would eventually find her if it came to that.

[Message]

The spell suddenly guttered out as the anti-magic effects of the island kicked into action. _Goddamnit._ Ainz contemplated what to do. _Can we just dig up the whole island? It will be tricky without magic, and besides, I'd hate to do that at Bukubukuchagama's grave. If this even is her grave._

Ainz looked for Kaiju. If he could communicate with the slime, his problems would be solved. It would raise questions why the Supreme Overlord would allow something like this to slip his mind, but he could deal with that later. The important thing was to find Bukubukuchagama and ascertain whether he could resurrect her.

"Aura, can you sense Bukubukuchagama's resting place on this island?"

Aura inhaled à couple times, focusing. However, after à minute, her ears drooped and she gave Ainz à negative look.

"No, Ainz-sama. I regret to say that I cannot sense her."

Ainz considered. Digging up the island was essentially out of the picture. He would not desecrate her grave in that way. Additionally, using magic wasn't an option either, due to the island's restrictions. That left only one slim hope, before he would need to send one of the elves back to Kaiju for instructions, and accept the disgrace. He made a guess, and called out.

"Island, where is Bukubukuchagama buried?"

Sure enough, he received a message from Bukubukuchagama.

"Hey, just to be sure; who did you say you were again?"

"Momonga, Leader of the Supreme Beings of Nazarick."

"If you are Momonga, you would know the code."

"Glory to Ainz Ooal Gown, may we crush our enemies underfoot, and sow their lands with salt."

"Yep, that is correct. If you would direct your eyes to that tree, you may notice the snake. Give it a pull."

Ainz relayed the information to Aura and Mare, and told them to step back, which they did, obediently. He walked forward, and grasped the golden snake in his hand. It was coiled against the tree tightly, and he was having difficulty moving it.

However, when he pulled it towards him and upwards, it moved without resistance. The snake unraveled from the tree like it was made of rope, and he pulled it away in his hand. For a second, nothing happened. _Did I break it?_

His worries were assuaged when the ground began to move. It shuddered, before being parted into two halves by an inexorable force. When it had parted, à marble coffin appeared in the bottom of the pit, and slowly rose into the air.

Aura and Mare gasped, and gazed at it as it hovered in front of them. Having the longest arms, only Ainz was able to reach the coffin from where it hovered. He pulled it towards him with an outstretched arm. It floated slowly, but he quickly had it over the ground.

"Aura, Mare, I will let you open it."

"Thank you Ainz-sama! To think you would bestow such honor on us!"

"Y-yeah, thank you, Ainz-sama!"

The twins grasped the heavy marble lid, and after à silent second, they lifted it up. The marble lid must have weighed half à ton, so they slowly maneuvered it to the ground. Inside, was another, smaller sarcophagus. Rather than the imposing, marble edifice, it was a smaller statue. The marble coffin was so large that this sarcophagus was upright inside of it, and yet it did not reach the height of the internal space. Aura lifted the golden sarcophagus out of the marble one, and held it to the sunlight triumphantly. Her face was glowing.

She triumphantly held the priceless possession of her creator to her chest, holding it so tightly that Ainz was worried she would crack it. Mare reached out his hands as if to take it from her, but she spun around so he was only facing her back. He scampered to the other side of her, but she turned again.

Ainz spoke up.

"Aura, place it on the ground in front of me."

Aura reluctantly placed it on the ground in front of her master, and stepped back, fidgeting, as she itched to pick it up once more.

Ainz reached forward, and picked up the sarcophagus. It was harder for the strength of a magic caster to carry, but it was manageable. He examined it closely, trying to find a way to open it. Bisecting the effigy was a clean crack, stretching straight from top to bottom. _Can I pry it open?_

He placed his hands on either side of the sarcophagus, and gave a gentle pull. Mare gasped, but stayed silent other than that. He pulled harder, feeling it begin to shift. Ainz pulled even harder, and it slowly came open. He braced to see a decomposing pile of slime inside, and opened it all the way. Inside was an ornate jar, with a note attached by string to the neck of the jar. _Is this the wrong grave?_

He picked up the note.

 _You know that I always wanted to be cremated_

\- _Bukubukuchagama_

Ainz's eyes traveled to the jar as he realized what he was looking at. _Her ashes…_! A profound disappointment filled him, as he realized that he had truly been to late. It was a cruel joke by the universe, to toss him a bone, only for him to realize it was made of plastic.

 _No… there is still hope. Even if it costs some XP, I have plenty more in [Avarice and Generosity]._

Ainz walked over to the beach, holding the jar while the note fluttered in the wind on its string. Behind him, Aura and Mare followed, apparently picking up on his mood. They could tell something had gone wrong.

"Ainz-sama, what was that jar? What's in it? And where is Bukubukuchagama-sama?"

"Hush, Aura. I will tell you in time. For now, we have more pressing issues."

Ainz knew his silence must be taking a toll on the dark elves, but he didn't feel very sorry. A feeling of selfishness overtook him. _They are just NPC's. What really matters is my friend._ He beat down the emotion. NPC's werent code anymore. They lived and breathed, and it wasn't fair to leave them out of it.

"Forgive me, I allowed my emotions to get the better of me."

"No, it's our fault for pestering you! Please forgive us!"

"Ah, very well. What is in this jar is…"

He searched for a good way to put it before giving up. He would just need to be blunt.

"What's in this jar is Bukubukuchagama's ashes. This is no mere artifact of hers, but her burial urn."

"What? I was just holding the ashes of my creator?"

Aura's face was a paragon of shock and dismay. A tear came out of one eye, and she began to sniffle.

"Yo-you didn't let me touch it! Ai-Ainz-sama, may I have it?"

"Right now, all that matters is Bukubukuchagama's resurrection. For that, I need to get off of this island carrying this. Therefore, if you wait for ten minutes, you may hold Bukubukuchagama herself, rather than her ashes!"

Aura and Mare instinctively took a step back, and Ainz walked toward the beach where the rowboat lay. He climbed in, and the rowboat automatically moved into deeper water. Ainz began rowing quickly, using the strength of a level 100 character. He skimmed across the water, heading towards the dock. Because of the way you row, he could see the faces of Aura and Mare on the island.

They looked heartbroken.

Part 2: Kaiju

Kaiju sat on the pier, watching baby Mare scoot across the water. It was truly strange to see her friends as they had been during her early life, as children. Their adult forms were far more familiar to her. As she watched, Mare was called by Ainz-sama (Exalted be his name), and he rowed over to the island.

The three of them listened for a second to what Kaiju knew must have been the customized greetings Bukubukuchagama had left. Her mother had created recorded messages for over 200 people. One for each of the 41(May they live forever), and many more for other significant people. Some people had received more than one message.

It was a project that had consumed Bukubukuchagama's restless energy in the last year of her life, culminating in her final resting place. She remembered how her mother had lain in the golden sarcophagus, and done something. Her essence had fled, ascending in motes of golden light. After it was over, all that remained was dust.

Kaiju knew that the party would have been currently asked if they were everyone. As she suspected, Ainz-sama looked over to her, an unspoken question in his glowing eyes.

"No, I won't be coming."

He nodded, and turned away from her. Silently, Kaiju rolled some distance away. Behind her, there was a silhouette. She quickly turned, around, seeing the figure of an elderly man sneaking up on her, holding a cane.

She was about to attack him, when she recognized who it was.

"Jackson."

"Kaiju-dono."

"What are you doing here? I thought you would be at home."

"That dragon left a golem at my home. They may welcome me, but they don't need my assistance with a beast like that around. So, I came back here. I spent the better years of my life in service to her. It feels right to spend my last ones that way as well."

"Hmm. did you know there is another Supreme Being in the world."

"There is only one Supreme Being in my eyes."

"She had many comrades. She would have been devastated that she has missed this one."

"Yes, she would have been. Who is it?"

"Momonga-sama."

Jackson nodded. They had been taught the names of their 41 gods as children, and aside from Bukubukuchagama, Momonga was most revered. Bukubukuchagama had taught that death was a rest after a life of hard work. For the most part, that was true. There had been no battles for centuries. Thus, Momonga had become an idea of the final father.

"He is the best one to come back, I feel. Perhaps the master of death itself could bring her back."

"Maybe. But is she dead, or ascended? I saw her essence float upwards, and fade. It doesn't seem fitting that a Supreme Being would end their life in the House of Momonga. That is where lesser flames dwindle."

"Kaiju, we can always hope. I would give much to see my savior again."

Kaiju had lived nearly 150 years in service of the Supreme Being, and almost everyone who had ever met the generous and cheerful World Shaper felt similar.

"As would many. They should be done by now. Shall we look at them?"

"Yes. Lead the way."

Kaiju rolled forward, back onto the pier. Momonga-sama was in the rowboat, heading back. _I still don't understand why he changed his name._ In the rowboat at Momonga-sama's feet, a golden jar glittered. Kaiju recognized what it was. _Her ashes! What is he planning on doing with them? Should I stop him?_

"Jackson, he is holding the ashes. Should I try to stop him?"

"We both know you couldn't. And besides, how could he resurrect her without her ashes? I think it's a good sign."

Kaiju moved her body to mimic a nod, an action she had seen her mother do thousands of times, and backed away from the edge of the dock.

Momonga-sama truly looked like a Master of Death as he stepped out of the boat. His black robes flared, and he held the Guild Weapon in his hand, glittering coldly. Kaiju felt like a cold wind was blowing from behind him, and indeed, his robes fluttered in a gale that no one else seemed to feel. She instinctively gave him more space as his aura flared up, causing grass at his feet to die. However, he didn't seem particularly angry. _It is simply how the God of Death should be, I feel._

"Kaiju. I have your mother's ashes in my hand here, and I will resurrect her shortly. Do you have any particular spot you would like it to be done?"

Kaiju looked at the jar in his arms. Behind him, the boat disappeared, reappearing on the island for Aura to enter. She glanced back at Momonga-sama.

"No, my lord. Right here would work."

Momonga-sama nodded, and grasped the jar tighter. She saw bony fingers tighten on the Guild Weapon, and Momonga-sama's eyes flare up.

[Greater Resurrection]

She felt the wind blow again, and one of the gems on the Staff was glowing brightly. However, nothing happened. She heard Momonga-sama muttering.

"Worth a try. On to the next attempt."

Kaiju and Jackson had backed up quite a bit to allow the Supreme Necromancer to work. Behind him, Aura clambered onto the dock. She appeared to quickly make sense of the situation, and stood to one side.

[Distort Morals] [Greater Resurrection: Holy]

This time, a bright white light emanated from his hands, causing the jar to glow and shake. A different gem glowed on the Staff. However, for the second time, nothing happened. Once again the Supreme One muttered.

"Final try before I make a wish."

[Asclepian Reversal: Wrath of Zeus]

Kaiju gasped at the legendary 10th tier spell. It was known for being the strongest resurrection spell in 'Yggdrasil.' In the distance, lightning flashed from an unknown source, as the sky was clear. Thunder boomed in response, and a bright flash of lightning cleaved from the heavens, striking the jar. Kaiju was worried that it would damage the jar, but it didn't. However, it also failed to resurrect the World Shaper. Despite the heavy feel of powerful magics, the Supreme Being refused to descend. Momonga-sama's chest heaved in a very human imitation of a frustrated sigh.

"Buku, I will return you to me at any cost, even if costs a use of my ring!"

The ruler of the Supreme Beings of the Great Tomb of Nazarick gestured. One of rings decorating his hands glowed brightly, emanating a scorching light.

Around his feet, a magic circle glowed into existence, spinning beneath his robes with fantastic speed. He glowed with blue light, as if backlit by a powerful spotlight.

"Oh hear me ring, I wish! Resurrect Bukubukuchagama, twelfth member of the Supreme Beings!"

The jar shook and glowed golden before shattering. The ashes scattered in the wind, before glowing a golden red, and being drawn together into the shape of a slime. Golden motes appeared from the sky, channeling into the dust made approximation of a Supreme Being, filling it with divine essence.

Part 3: Aura

Aura gasped in shock. She had been disapointed by the results of Ainz's previous spells, and become increasingly prepared for failure. However, when the Supreme One had chosen to use his full power, the power reserved only for the Supreme Beings, she had felt the world bend over backwards to accommodate the desires of Ainz-sama.

Wind whirled, dust flew, and even trees hundreds of meters distant groaned as they bent backward. In the eye of this storm, the Master of Death forced life back into a shell of dust. Aura felt excitement growing. She could practically feel the warm appendages of her creator hugging her, praising her, loving her. In front of her, the last of the golden motes channeled into the body, filling it up like a balloon.

However, something was wrong. The last of the glimmering motes had entered the ashen body, yet it didn't look fully inflated. Next to her, Ainz exclaimed, and gestured again. More golden motes appeared in a flurry, entering the body, but it was still only 75% full. Aura felt a void of disappointment and heart crushing despair settle upon her. She had been so prepared for the possibility of failure- the Most Supreme had warned her to be several times.

But coming so close, to literally see the half-formed body of her Creator hanging in the sky, and then having it ripped apart hurt the worst. Aura looked up. Ainz-sama was casting spell after spell, more than anyone in Nazarick could have consecutively cast on the body. Aura had assumed he had failed after the storm ended, but she felt a flicker of hope rise in her chest again. The Supreme Beings held all of reality in their hands. If anyone could do the impossible, it was Ainz-sama. As she watched, Ainz cast a flurry of spells, and the dust fluttering around Bukubukuchagama's body fluttered into place, turning pink. He cast spells quickly, effortlessly using magic that left Aura in awe. Slowly, under hundreds of spells from every tier, her creator was reformed.

Parts that danced into dust were reined in and stabilized. The essence was magnified and shifted to cover the body. Slowly, a perfect image of Bukubukuchagama appeared, made of her own ashes. Then, Ainz-sama cast a final spell, and the dust blew away. Underneath was the perfect form of Bukubukuchagama.

Aura felt a stirring of life in that slime, and suddenly, full consciousness. She ran over to her creator as she slowly descended, and stopped next to Ainz-sama. In that moment, she had witnessed the true majesty, the difference that separates mortals from the Supreme. She would tell all of Nazarick when she returned home. For now, it was sufficient to feel gratitude dwarfing all other emotions. All emotions, that is, aside from love. For in front of her, her creator stood.

Before she could move a step, she heard the rich tones of her master next to her. As usual, they were calm and confident. Despite that, she could feel stress underlying the tones.

"Aura and Mare. She may look stable, but I assure you she is not. The only thing holding her together is hundreds of charms of permanence and binding cast by me. I can't hold the mana cost for long. Use your five minutes wisely."

Aura felt the shock of overwhelming sadness again. She had gone through a topsy turvy of 'here she is!' and 'nevermind, she really isn't! Gotcha!' so many times already. When she had seen the physical form of her creator in front of her, she had dared to hope. Now, when it had been snatched away for the last time, she felt an incredible despair. But she steeled herself. For now, her creator was in front of her, and there was no time for grief. She would spend the time the Supreme One gave her wisely.

Bukubukuchagama looked up, and her body suddenly became very animated. Aura heard Momonga saying something, but she wasn't listening.

Aura leapt forward, slamming into Bukubukuchagama. Mare soon followed as both of them were grasped firmly in slimy coils. It felt right to be there, like children hugging their mother. She exuded a pleasant and familiar scent, and her body was warm and comfortable.

"BUKUBUKUCHAGAMA-SAMA!"

Part 4: Bukubukuchagama

She slept, curled into a ball. The afterlife was a place of sensation, not of reality. It was endless warmth and comfort. You stayed for a couple years, and then you disappeared. She instinctively knew this, despite never having been told. She encountered no others, though she was sure that there were many more. She tumbled through the dark, in perfect peace, for eternities. Suddenly, she was snapped from her sleep. The familiar warmth was there, but it was cooling, fading. She was being pulled out! She felt her essence siphoned like a straw as an inexorable force pulled her out of Death.

A shrieking whirlwind pulled her out, and she felt parts of her essence be stripped away, fading. She felt only pain as her essence was forced to become corporeal. And then, she was bound back into physical form, infused into ashes. She felt herself become real once more, and hundreds of cruel barbs lashed her in place. She felt her body rise to surround her, and then the dust cleared, and she no longer felt pain.

She felt the surety of being alive, the strength. Being in the world felt good. However, she could feel a faint sensation. Her essence was slowly twirling away, disappearing back into the peaceful place despite the magic holding her in the mortal realm.

Finally, her mind cleared, and she looked around. In front of her was someone she unconsciously referred to as her 'Summoner.' It was a tall, imposing skeleton mage holding a sta… _Momonga? Could that be you?_ Next to the undead stood two small humans. _No wait, those are elves. It's Aura and Mare! What the hell is going on? Why are they children again?_

However, before she could ponder the strange events, the undead nodded, speaking in a rich and confident voice.

"Hello, my old friend-"

However, before she could hear him finish, she was hit by two powerful impacts. She reflexively grabbed them, and held them. When she realized that it was Aura and Mare, she stopped, and held them more gently. _Oh, little Mare! Fierce Aura! I had forgotten how perfect your child forms were._

The feel of her two children snuggling against her and crying, speaking incoherently, rose intense motherly feelings in her. She grabbed them close and made soothing motions over their darling heads.

"There there. It's alright."

They sniffled incoherently, muttering something and begging forgiveness. _That won't do._

"Hush, babies. Talk to me."

Behind them, she noticed the undead. _It must be Momonga. He called me old friend._ However, she felt a certain feeling of strain coming off of him. She felt his voice echo in her mind as a [Message] spell was cast.

"Hello, Bukubuku. I cant keep this up for long, so please hurry. I have much I would have liked to tell you, but we are running out of time, and they deserve this. Maybe I'll Wish for you again."

Bukubukuchagama couldn't respond while snuggling the twins, but she extended a tendril, making it nod at Momonga, and make a sad face emoji. She knew that you could not wish for the same thing twice. She wouldn't ever talk to Momonga again, and she felt a sudden surge of gratitude that he recognized who needed her more.

Bukubukuchagama diverted her whole attention towards the children grabbing her.

"Hey, guys. GUYS! My time here is limited. As much as I like to snuggle, we should also talk, you know?"

Aura nodded, slightly more collected than Mare, who was attempting to bury himself inside her, so deep was he snuggling.

"Do you guys have anything to ask me?"

"D-do you love us?"

"Of course, my little babies! You two are my most precious creation."

"Then why did you leave?"

Bukubukuchagama had been asked why she was leaving hundreds of times by her guardians when she announced it. Thus, she already had an answer prepared. However, it seemed to melt in the face of such cuteness. But she plowed through.

"Us Supreme Beings have many duties across the many realms of existence. I was not abandoning you, I simply have many responsibilities. To us, Nazarick is like a vacation."

She sensed that the answer wasn't satisfying what were, essentially, two orphans. Bukubukuchagama decided to add a bit of herself to the answer.

"But, if I had known you two were still in this world, I would have come and gotten you."

They nodded. For the next 200 seconds she frantically answered questions, about them, life's meaning, her plans, about Supreme Beings, and most importantly, if she loved them. They kept coming back to that.

"Y-you actually love us?"

"Yes, my dears. Without a doubt."

Before they could ask something else, she heard the rich baritone of an Overlord. Momonga. He walked over to her, and placed a hand on the twins's shoulders. They looked up at him, and seemed to sense his intent, falling silent. They did not, however, let go of Bukubukuchagama.

"Bukubuku, I would like to talk before I let you go."

"Of course, Guild Leader."

"Did you care?"

Bukubukuchagama knew he meant about Yggdrasil. Pero had told her that the game was everything to Momonga, and that he didn't even have a family. She could understand if he wanted to know if people felt the same way he did.

"Yes, Momonga. Real life got in the way, as it always does. But for a time, it was my greatest love. Still is, especially after coming here."

"I have been so lonely, Buku, but now that you are here, I can't think of anything to say.

Aura and Mare seemed startled that Ainz was lonely, but it was hard to tell since they were buried in her side.

"Then, let me tell you this. I missed you, every day. Also, you are not alone. There may be another one of us in a hundred years. I have waited and waited, but it was always just humans. Someday, we might all be reunited. Find them."

"I will. I won't let there only be one of us here at a time. I missed you too."

She made a heart emoji with her movable skin, and then a smiling one. Momonga could do no such thing with his bony face, but she got the impression of sad joy. Then, the Overlord stepped back, and let her children hug her in her last moments.

Bukubukuchagama felt fulfilled as she felt the last of her Guildmates MP run out. One by one, the charms keeping her in the mortal plan winked out. Parts of her began to disappear as Momonga's elegant spellcrafting fell apart.

Parts of her dusted away, leaving more and more empty patches hanging where purple flesh used to be. However, Bukubukuchagama was content as she was whisked away back to the peaceful place. She could sense she wouldn't wait around very long there.

The last piece of her to remain in the New World had a smile emoji on it.

 **That's the end! I know it's not the ending everyone wants, but it's what you get. Also, side note- I don't think I'm gonna work on Nazarick in the 22nd Century. I did it sort of as homage to Carlos, since I thought he was inactive. Seeing as he isn't I'm going to leave that concept to him. I'll write something else, I have plenty of ideas. See y'all around**


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